


Full Metal Panic Goddess Complex

by iwritethings



Category: Full Metal Panic, ああっ女神さまっ | Ah! Megami-sama! | Oh My Goddess!
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-07-11
Packaged: 2018-04-08 20:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 85,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4318146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwritethings/pseuds/iwritethings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sousuke Sagara is discharged from Mithril after being diagnosed with PTSD. He decides to pursue an education at a certain technology school where he discovers new friends, new enemies, and a new found purpose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 -

"Sousuke?" groaned the blue haired women as she sat up in bed. A bed side lamp flickered on as she leaned over with an outstretched arm. "This is getting old," she squirmed for a moment before growling and kicking her legs.

"I'm sorry Kaname," Sousuke spoke through labored breaths. "It was another..."

"Nightmare. I know," Kaname Chidori spat. The bed creaked as she threw back the sheets. "You need to do something about all of this," she continued to chastise the man as she stomped angrily towards the bathroom.

"I know," Sousuke whispered. He sighed as he wiped at his forehead with the back of his wrist. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and he felt as though he could fall over at any moment.

"What?" Kaname growled as she vanished beyond the precipice of the bathroom door. The light flicked on and the sound of the toilet rattling echoed outwards from the ajar room.

"I know," the young soldier spoke louder. "I don't know what is wrong with me," he fought the urge to groan as he felt the blood rushing from his face. His temples ached as cold washes of adrenaline surged through his body with the beat of his heart. He could feel his hands shaking and his left arm ached. He rubbed at his arm slowly as he took slow breathes.

"Well, find out," came the angry voice from the bathroom over the sound of liquids splashing together. "I'm tired of you acting so weird. Weirder then usual." The harsh tone caused Sousuke to grimace. "You can just get over it. I thought you were a tough guy." She continued to berate him as she relieved her bladder.

Kaname and Sousuke had moved in together just after graduating from High School. Sousuke had recently been promoted to Staff Sergeant and Kaname was preparing to begin an internship to become an elementary school teacher. He thought their life was going to be perfect. He had high hopes and with the lull in the action, he believed it would help induce a greater sense of calm in his life. Instead, the calm only exacerbated his symptoms as he found himself more afraid of what could be lurking in the dark than the comfort of the horrors he faced on a daily basis.

The bed creaked again as Kaname snatched a handful of covers and wrapped herself up with her back turned to Sousuke. "I just think that if you can't get these problems under control we need to rethink living together." She grumbled and kicked her legs as she tried to get comfortable. "I don't think I can take much more of this."

"I see," Sousuke replied with little trace of feeling in his voice. "Good night Kaname." He tried his best to lay still even with the heavy pressure of his heart beating a mile a minute in his chest. He could feel his breath hitching as he tried his best not to disturb the woman laying next to him.

"Night," Kaname replied gruffly after what felt like eternity.

Without a sound, Sousuke lifted himself up from the bed. He looked down at the bunny slippers tucked under the bed next to his boots. The slippers had been a gift from Kaname. He rubbed his left arm methodically as he fought the urge to panic, scream, or try to flee the room. He wondered if there were any assassins waiting just outside the house, waiting for the opportunity to make their way in and to harm either of them.

%%% He reached out to his night stand and lifted his cell phone into his hand. He hesitated for a moment before he opened the nightstand drawer, withdrew his pistol, and made his way to the door. He felt much safer with the heft of the Glock G$26$ in his palm.

He made his way out of the bedroom and to the hallway. He closed the door behind him slowly, his eyes darted back and forth as he paced up and down the hall, clearing the home slowly. He felt the strong need to verify that they were safe and secure in their own abode. When he was finally satisfied with his ministrations, he decided he was ready to make a phone call.

The cell phone in his hand glowed with a sickly green in the darkness as he dialed the number that had been given to him by Mithril. "Mental Health" flashed across the small screen of the phone before "dialing" replaced it and the sound of a ringer began to emanate from the phone.

"Mithril Mental Health Institute," A friendly feminine voice spoke.

Sousuke hesitated before speaking "This is Staff Sergeant Sousuke Sagara."

"Yes sir?" The woman queried calmly. She had a soothing tone to her voice that equally calmed as well as embarrassed the soldier.

"I would like to make an appointment to see a specialist," He continued. He could feel his heart pounding hard in his throat again. He wanted to throw the phone, scream, and rage. He didn't understand why he was so frustrated with himself. He shook the pistol in his hand for a moment and listened to the sound of the slide rattling softly.

Was Kaname right? Was it all in his head? Why couldn't he simply suck it up and get over his issues?

"Of course sir. I need to ask you a few questions first. Please try to answer as truthfully as possible," The voice continued.

"Affirmative," Sousuke replied.

"Are you having suicidal thoughts?"

"Negative," He wiped at his forehead with the hand holding the pistol, the barrel faced towards the wall as his arm slid across his head. He felt sick.

"Have you had any suicidal thoughts?" She continued. Her voice stayed level as she spoke to the soldier.

"Affirmative," He didn't feel like lying.

"Are you thinking about harming yourself or someone else?" She inquired.

"No," He suddenly felt like lying.

"Will you please contact us or dial 911 if you do feel suicidal?" She urged him.

"Affirmative," He could feel his teeth gritting as he scowled into the darkness. He shook the pistol once more with a nervous jerk of his wrist. He wondered what she would think if she knew he was standing in the dark, in his underwear, pistol in hand, and a chip on his shoulder.

"All right Sergeant. Your appointment is tomorrow at 1000 hours. We will be looking forward to seeing you." 

He could hear her smile through the phone. He wanted to yell and rage and tell her how things were not going to be fine. He was tired, he was frustrated, and he didn't have any one who understood what was going on.

"Thank you." Sousuke sighed before hanging up the phone. He made his way towards one of the windows in the home and pressed the blinds apart with his index finger to peer outside. He looked slowly and waited for any sign of movement. He slowly returned the blind to its original position before returning to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 -

Sousuke lounged uncomfortably in the large leather chair. He had arrived an hour early to the clinic. It was a large complex with a number of nurses and patients bustling about. The waiting room was square with many large squishy leather couches. A television in the corner flickered with some sort of mid day soap opera.

"Mr. Sagara?" called the woman behind the enclosed reception area.

"Yes Ma'am." Sousuke replied as he stood and made his way to stand rigidly before the counter. He felt awkward and out of place as he stood at attention before the young woman. He wasn't interested in spending any more time under the visual scrutiny of the women working the office than was absolutely necessary.

"Could you please fill out these forms. We also need your insurance card issued through your PMC." she smiled.

Sousuke hated her smile for some reason. He had a strong desire to strike her as his gut wrenched. He hated the idea of being "crazy". He knew he wasn't crazy, and her patronizing attitude only grated on his nerves. He felt ashamed under her gaze. He knew that she was judging him for his inability to control his own emotions.

"Affirmative." He replied coldly while he extracted his wallet and the small white card within. "Here you go Ma'am." He looked down for a moment as he handed her the card and noticed that his fingers were dripping with sweat.

Again she smiled as she took the card from his hand daintily. Sousuke could feel as his stomach turned a loop. Was she mocking him? Did she know how he felt? What could she possibly be smiling about? He made a sharp about face and returned to his chair with the clipboard and forms.

The questions on the forms were standard. They wanted his name, rank, date of birth, and all the other mundane information they might need to charge him in case his insurance turned down his claim. It wasn't until he got to page three that he reached the "crazy people" questions as he saw them.

"Have you ever experienced a traumatic event?" He spoke softly as he nervously jerked the pen between his index finger and thumb. "Do you have relationship problems that you feel stem from previous traumatic events." A distasteful look spread over his face as he scribbled a curt "Yes."

Sousuke looked up from the clipboard and it's ridiculous contents in order to look about the room for a second nervously. He had made sure not to use the couch that would force him to keep his back to the door. He looked out the glass window at the small crowd in the foyer. His eyes fell upon a soldier in a wheel chair. He shuddered before looking back down at the paper.

"Do you have a strong need to feel secure and in control at all times? Does this include specific compulsive actions or behaviors? ( Like ensuring you do not have your back to any entrances or exits. )"

Sousuke coughed uncomfortably.

After several more minutes of filling out the paperwork he stood and made his way back to the reception. "I have accomplished the assigned task and completed this paperwork to the best of my ability." He spoke before handing the clipboard to the woman.

She replied with another smile before informing him that the Doctor would see him shortly.

The soap opera was uninteresting to say the least and Sousuke spent his time day dreaming about how his meeting with the Doctor might go. He imagined himself being removed from the Office in a straight jacket and forced to languish in some sterile dungeon some where. He wondered if the psychiatric home was where all old soldiers went to die, forced to eat apple sauce and watch M*A*S*H reruns until they hung themselves with their own socks.

He felt morbid.

After several more minutes of intense inner dialog about the best way to end ones own life in a mental institution he was stirred from his reverie by another female voice.

"Sousuke Sagara." Came a strong voice from the doorway. "Welcome sir, the Doctor will see you now."

"Thank you." Sousuke replied as he followed the young woman into the back area.

His eyes wandered as he walked. Directly to his right sat the receptionist, her desk framed with pictures of herself and a man hugging in exotic locations. A small clock shaped like a cat with it's paw in the air was prominent next to the computer she used to input patient records.

Sousuke let his gaze wander left where a large painting of a beautiful ocean side vista hung. It reminded him of an incident that occurred in Israel near the dead sea. He had been engaged in heavy fighting with insurgents attempting to enter the Country in order to assassinate a prominent Israeli Cabinet Member. His team had responded with members of an elite IDF unit. A picture perfect snapshot of a combatant wearing traditional middle eastern clothes armed with an AK-$47$ falling backwards as his head popped like a grape from the $7.62x51$ caliber bullet from his rifle played over and over in his mind.

He stopped looking around the Office until he was settled into the doctors Office.

"Mr. Sagara. Welcome to my Office." spoke a medium height man with a well trimmed mustache. He wore an expensive suit with an over coat that closely resembled a lab coat. "My name is Dr. Arlend."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Sousuke lied.

"Please sit down." The Doctor motioned to a large leather chair in front of his heavy oak desk. "I want to start by going over some of your paper work with you. This is just a way for us to get to know each other better."

"As you wish." Sousuke spoke with a nod.

The Doctors voice was even and it appeared to Sousuke that he wasn't being prejudged. He had been on the defensive, but as their small talk continued he began to relax into his own skin.

"Then I stabbed my target in the throat with my bayonet..."

The doctor scribbled notes.

"There wasn't as much blood as I thought the first time I shot someone. I expected more. I guess every 8 year olds imagination runs wild though."

More scribbling.

"I can't watch movies at the theater any more. My hands sweat and I feel light headed. I am terrified that my heart could stop at any minute. It's been a strain on my relationship."

"Please, tell me about your relationship with Kaname. I see you listed her as your wife." The Doctor interrupted.

"Well, we are not married yet sir." Sousuke continued. "I don't think we will be. My nightmares My eccentricities. My "craziness" as she puts it has become too much for her."

"I noticed you use the word crazy when you refer to your condition." The Doctor paused as he caught Sousuke grimace.

"I don't like the word condition. Illness. I don't like these terms. They imply that something is wrong with me." Sousuke gazed at the floor. "I am not sick."

"Sousuke. I want to be frank with you here." The Doctor adjusted his seating position before continuing. "You have experienced a countless number of traumatic events since an early age. It would be irresponsible for me to try to sugar coat your issues and to be even more frank, it would be unfair to you."

Sousuke nodded slowly.

"You have had these negative life experiences, and while you have contributed to the world so much, you have also given parts of yourself that you can never regain. It's not fair to you that you are unable to enter a movie theater or eat at certain restaurants simply because flashing lights in the darkness and certain smells are triggers to your emotional and physical response to stress."

Sousuke felt a deep form of anxiety rumble in his stomach as he began to dread what the Doctor could be getting at.

"I am going to present my diagnosis to your commanding Officers. I feel that you are experiencing what is known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. You may have heard this referred to as PTSD."

"I have. It is a career destroyer."

"Don't consider your diagnosis as a door closer. Think of it as an opportunity for you to rebuild your life." The Doctor gazed softly at Sousuke before continuing. "You deserve a chance to recapture some of what you have lost."

"I see." Sousuke breathed as tears began to well in his eyes.

"Please wait here." The Doctor stated as he stood and exited the room.

Sousuke assumed that the Doctor had left in order to procure the straight jacket and several strong men to begin their assault. He refused to face the door as he relaxed into his fate. He was ready. There was no world for Old Soldiers. No where to go. He was ready to go peaceably into the darkness.

"Sousuke?" came a soft feminine voice.

"Captain?" Sousuke replied as he turned in his seat to lay eyes on Captain Tessa Testarossa.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 -

Urd, the olive skinned Goddess, sighed loudly as she floated in the air above Keiichi Morisato. She had been spending the last hour watching him fix the television. "My show is on in an hour." She spoke with little excitement.

"I'm fixing it as fast as I can Urd." Keiichi replied exasperatedly. "It doesn't sound like your very excited about your show any ways."

"I guess." Urd shrugged before rolling over onto her stomach in mid air. "I have felt pretty lethargic. Kind of depressed."

"Why?" Keiichi asked with a deep concern in his voice.

"I am all alone." She closed her eyes tightly for a moment before blinking several times. She wiggled about in the air restlessly as she watched the human sitting on the floor below her.

"That isn't true. You have Belldandy, Skuld, and you even have me." Keiichi replied with a warmth in his voice.

"I know." Urd sighed again before rolling onto her back restlessly. "YOU have Belldandy." She emphasized the you as she jerked a dainty finger outwards towards him.

Keiichi didn't reply as he looked back down at the disassembled television. He absentmindedly picked up a tool and began to resume his work. He wiped at his brow for a moment before shooting one more look up at Urd. He didn't want her to think he was ignoring her.

"It's a Goddess' greatest wish to serve someone." She continued as she stared up at the ceiling. "We feel most fulfilled when we are granting the wishes of another." 

"I see." Keiichi spoke in an encouraging manner. He hoped that talking would help her get over her funk.

"I am sure that the All Mighty has plans for you as well Urd." Belldandy spoke as she entered the room with a tray laden with freshly baked cookies and ice cold milk. "It's only a matter of time before you find that special someone." A serene smile played upon her lips as she gazed lovingly at her charge.

"Thanks Belldandy!" Keiichi exclaimed as he snatched up a cookie and a glass. He had decided it was time to take a rest.

"I wonder if that is true. Sometimes I wonder if my mixed heritage could keep me from ever finding someone. Who do you think is going to authorize a half-demon and half-angel to grant wishes? In a way I am confused about who I am." Urd had rolled back over onto her stomach once more, resting her chin on one hand as she reached down onto the platter to snag two cookies.

The sweet scent of chocolate had filled the air.

"Don't worry Urd. Your time will come. I am sure of it." Keiichi spoke through crumbs as he stuffed his mouth with delicious cookie. "Belldandy, you really outdid yourself this time. These cookies are absolutely divine!"

"Thank you Keiichi! I am so glad you enjoy my baking!" Belldandy beamed with pride as the words escaped her lips like an Angelic song.

"Gag me with a spoon." Urd whispered before rolling back onto her back once more, cookie crumbs bouncing into her hair flippantly.

Keiichi grimaced as he picked up on Urd's dour mood; caused by his lovey-dovey attitude with Belldandy.


	4. Chapter 4

"Sousuke, call me Tessa. Please." Tessa spoke as she entered the room, her hand slipping from the door as it clicked closed behind her.

"Captain Tessa..." Sousuke began before being cut off by the woman.

"Tessa." She replied softly.

"Tessa." Sousuke spoke slowly as he tried spoke her first name as though it were the very first time. "Why are you here?"

"Are you not very happy to see me?" She inquired serenely.

Sousuke shifted uncomfortably without answering.

"I'm here to help you. I heard you had requested to be seen by one of our mental health Officers and I felt I should be here to support you in any way I can." she replied as she looked down at the ground.

"I feel that you may not have been entirely truthful with me." Sousuke stated calmly as he began to scratch absentmindedly at the scar on his cheek.

"If that is what you think then you would be right." Tessa sighed before taking another step closer to Sousuke. Her legs pressed gently against his as she entered his personal space.

"What can I do for you?" He asked as his eyes trailed down to her thighs, wrapped tight in a yellow miniskirt. "Do you need something?"

"That's exactly why you are here." Tessa giggled lightly as she took a few steps back before making an about face sharply. "You always want to do for others. You put others and the mission before any thing else without hesitation."

"I know what I want then." Sousuke mustered his courage before continuing. "I..." His words failed him as he reached into his pocket to extricate a small lump of crumpled paper. The sound in the room was palpable as the paper crunched and rustled as he attempted to smooth it out.

The words Nekomi Institute of Technology Arm Slave Technology Course was emblazoned on the paper in large letters. It appeared that Sousuke had clipped the piece of paper out of a magazine or newspaper before allowing it to sit in his pocket over several months. A short course description about the new technologies being studied at the school were included on the paper.

"I want to go to College." He breathed nervously as he clutched at the paper before presenting it forward for Tessa to take from him. He looked breakable at that moment as though he could be shattered with a rough look from the woman.

"Arm Slave Technology?" Tessa questioned as she took the paper gently from Sousuke. "You want to go to school to be a mechanic?"

"No. I want to become a researcher or developer. I want to make the Arm Slave better. I want to help protect soldiers." Sousuke spoke more confidently. "I want to continue to serve, by serving those who must fight on even if I am too weak to do so."

"You are NOT weak!" Tessa growled as she closed the gap between them again.

The soldier braced for impact as he expected to be physically assaulted much like Kaname had done so many times to him. Instead of a strike or a smack, he found himself enveloped in a hug as the woman nearly clambered into his lap.

"We." She hesitated before continuing. "I love you Sousuke!" She cried as the facade of a stoic military commander faded and her emotions shined through. "Do you remember when Gauron kidnapped Kaname? When we shared that single night together on the submarine? I had been trying to comfort you and Sousuke, she doesn't deserve you."

"Tessa." Sousuke whispered with a heavy breath while his arms pulled her in closer. "We both know that we can't be any thing else."

Tessa pulled herself away from Sousuke sharply as she summoned up her aloof attitude once more. "You will go to school."

"I have to be accepted."

"You are going to school Sousuke."

Sousuke didn't argue as he looked into the eyes of a woman he couldn't understand. He had spent one night in her quarters in a moment of weakness. He had been loosing his mind, and she had seduced him. He had never told another person about what happened that night; not even Kaname.

Tessa straightened out her skirt with her hands before wiping at her eyes. "Good luck with Kaname." She spoke with an even tone. It was acidic. She had spoken those exact words the next morning and Sousuke suspected she had chosen them carefully.

It had been over an hour since Tessa had left when the Doctor reentered the Office. He looked a bit haggard, but he continued to behave in a positive and congenial manner with Sousuke. He assisted Sousuke in filling out papers and ensuring he had a simply discharge from Mithril Service. The Office performed most of the work for Sousuke; his signature needed on a handful of pages and little else.


	5. Chapter 5

Bright light streamed through the window as Sousuke Sagara sat up on his futon. He shrugged the mil-spec poncho off of himself as he looked about the room. His new apartment was sparsely furnished with the basic necessities and could even be classified as small to some. After a moment of quite contemplation, he heaved himself up from his perch on the futon and began to prepare for the day.

Taking three deep breaths, Sousuke Sagara relaxed each muscle in his body to the best of his ability. He had begun trying in earnest to control his anxiety through a combination of breathing exercises and guided imagery. It was slow going and he continued to suffer from his illness, but he felt positive in the fact that he would progress in his healing.

The chatter of an early morning radio program filled the air while Sousuke prepared himself for the day. He had decided to wear a pair of black dress slacks with snake skin shoes and matching belt. His shirt was a button up in a light green. He had starched and ironed his clothing the evening before and hoped that his choice of clothes would be acceptable to his peers.

Sousuke had packed his bag, a Russian surplus military bag, with what he thought would be essential items for his learning experience. Several maps of the campus and the surrounding area, pens and pencils of various styles, notebooks, text books, and two MRE style meals as well as three bottles of water. He had also memorized the location of several eating establishments that he felt would be safe locations to dine at during breaks; but had not marked his maps in case they should fall into the wrong hands.

A light grumble from his stomach alerted him to his need for sustenance and he decided to take a detour on his way to the Nekomi Institute to enjoy a light breakfast at a local coffee shop. Hefting his backpack onto his shoulder he took one last look around his new apartment before making his way out in to the world.

The air was crisp and cool and he felt invigorated as he puffed out a light dust of condensation from his nostrils. It reminded him of the mountains he grew up in and he reminisced as he walked.

The putter of the motorcycle split the morning silence as Keiichi and Belldandy road to school. The cool air was crisp and a low puff of condensation escaped the couples lips as they enjoyed their ride to school. Keiichi could feel a palpable excitement beaming from his Goddess and he wondered what was on her mind. He contemplated asking her about her mood and eventually his curiosity got the best of him.

"You seem different." He spoke forcefully over the din of the motorcycle.

"Really?" Belldandy questioned serenely.

"I just wonder if something is going to happen." Keiichi continued as he stole a sideways glance at the Angelic being that sat beside him. His thoughts led him to tenuous daydreams of Marl and Hild.

Belldandy and her strong telepathic abilities picked up on his discomfort quickly. She gently rotated at the hips to gaze at the man she loved and smiled. "It will be nothing like that. Today is going to be a fortuitous day for Urd."

The answer he received from the Goddess was comforting and he made the decision to make a stop at a local coffee shop that served breakfast. He felt compelled to visit this shop even though he was not prone to indulging in drinking the bitter beverage and breakfast had been prepared by Belldandy some 40 minutes ago.

The bike heaved to the left as he exited the motorway. Keiichi enjoyed leaving for school early, because his ability to navigate the roadways was made infinitely easier by the light traffic. The bustling lights of the city as it morphed from night to day fascinated him as he steadily guided the motorbike up the road. He noticed a sharply dressed man off to his right walking briskly in the same direction he was traveling for a brief moment.

"This is not the normal way we go to the University." Belldandy spoke as she looked about the city from her seat in the sidecar.

"I decided to make a pit stop." Keiichi smiled as he drew the motorbike to a halt in front of a small coffee shop. "Just felt like I needed something and this place came to mind." He laughed lightly.

"I see." Belldandy replied quietly to herself.

Sousuke took a side long glance at the motorcycle and sidecar parked in front of the coffee shop. He had noticed the exotic vehicle as he was walking and had wistfully wished for a closer look. He pounced on his chance by spending all of three or four seconds gazing upon it as he walked past it and towards the double doors that served as a buffer between the doorway and sweet delicious "civilian" coffee as he considered it.

As he entered he noticed a beautiful woman standing close to a gentleman who must not have been much older then he. He found himself admiring her golden hair and luscious figure but mastered his urges and steadied his gaze upon the menu found elevated above the heads of the barristas who bustled behind the counter.

After a few moments his turn to step up to the counter came and he brought his piercing gaze down into the eyes of the young woman who stood before him.

"Can... I help you?" She faltered for a moment as her eyes flicked to the facial scar that adorned his cheek. Sousuke ignored her demeanor and tried to smile. It looked like something between a sneer and a demonic grin as he pulled the sides of his lips up at her.

"I would like to acquisition a caramel cappuccino with a light dusting of honey and spice upon a sweet cream topping." He spoke curtly.

"Uhhh..." The woman gazed at him quizzically for a moment.

"Ah. My apologies. Make it a... venti." Sousuke chuckled inwardly as he imagined what his friends in Mithril would think if they could hear him ordering any thing other than a "black coffee in a mug."

"All right. Is there anything else I can get you?" She replied with a tone that perfectly showed her loss of confidence in understanding the mans order.

"Affirmative. I would like a bagel with cream cheese." He replied with a curt nod as he removed his wallet from his pocket and presented the woman with a \$$10$ bill.

The woman took the money from him and presented him with a small slip that contained a number he would be called by. "Your number is $187$." She smiled.

"Thank you." Sousuke replied and he turned on his heels militarily and began to walk towards a seat where he could place his back against a wall.

Keiichi Morisato was very used to people staring at his girlfriend. She was a Goddess and it came with the territory; but he had never seen Belldandy stare at any one but him. It had surprised him when the well dressed man entered the coffee shop and he only gave a passing glance to his Goddess, but he caught Belldandy staring with a hard look on her face at the man since they had sat down.

"Every thing all right?" Keiichi spoke softly as he reached out to place his hand over Belldandy's.

"I think every thing is going to be just fine." Belldandy smiled as she turned her attention to her precious Keiichi. "As long as you are here. I can never be not fine." She beamed.

Keiichi blushed as he gazed lovingly into the Goddesses eyes.

Sousuke couldn't help but hear the exchange between the couple and his heart burned as he listened. He was allowing his eyes to wander about the inside and outside of the building as he peered through the glass windows but he could hear every word they spoke clearly. He wished so greatly that he could find a woman who would cherish him as much as he may cherish her some day. Then he remembered how "wrong" and "ill" he was and realized he would never find what he was seeking. His heart hardened a little more as the normal scowl returned to his face.

Sousuke turned his attention to the couple as they stood and gathered two drinks and a small bag of food from the counter. He grimaced internally as he realized the man was intently paying attention to the young girl and before he could call out to him the man ran directly into a very drunk biker who had opened the door.

The drink in the mans hands burst and most of it landed on the biker.

"HEY YOU BASTARD!" The man squealed as he looked down angrily at his jacket.

"Oh man! I am so sorry!" Keiichi yelped as he turned quickly to place the half empty drink container on a trash container and snatched up a handful of napkins.

Sousuke all ready knew what was coming next as he stood and grabbed his drink from the counter with a curt nod. He immediately began to make his way towards the exit. A confirmation of his suspicions came in the form of a loud pop as the young man turned back towards the biker and received a sharp punch against his jaw.

Keiichi dropped like a sack of bricks onto his back. It felt like someone had hit him with a truck and the only thing he could see in front of him was Belldandy screaming what sounded like his name through a haze. He had wanted to push her away, tell her to run, but he couldn't do any thing as he fought to escape the haze that surrounded his mind,

Sousuke felt barely suppressed rage forming in his gut as he watched the bikers companions laugh. He noticed the leader was grinning as he ate up the attention from his friends and as it dawned on him, there was a beautiful woman kneeling down over the idiot who had been punched. This wasn't good.

The biker realized this too and began to lift his foot to stomp the woman in the back of the head. It looked like he was going to kick their heads together.

"Let's watch them kiss." The biker laughed as he heaved his leg up towards his chest. A moment later a shattering crash emanated about the room. Sousuke had kicked the right door open to follow the biker who had crashed through the left side.

Sousuke had reached the man in time to grab his leg and heave it up into the air with all his might. This move caused the man to fall backwards and crash through the glass door way and onto the side walk.

A short sip on his cappuccino later and Sousuke was surrounded by the other two bikers.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" One of them yelled.

Sousuke reached for his pistol and realized he didn't have it any more so he took another sip of his drink. He was concerned he may spill it during the fight that was about to erupt and wished to cherish what little time he may have with the tasty beverage.

"Someone who doesn't like to see people destroy beautiful things any more." He absentmindedly replied before juking to the right to dodge a punch. He replied in turn with a strong front kick to the mans solar plexus before grimacing slightly as some of his hot drink spilled outwards onto his top two fingers.

The third thug turned and looked at his two friends and immediately broke ranks to escape from the crazy man in front of him.


	6. Chapter 6

Sousuke contemplated killing the man. He was still very angry and he was striking his finger tips against the hilt of a small folding knife in his pocket. He knew it would only take a moment to kneel down onto the mans forehead with his knee and end it all. He was staring so intently at the man that he didn't realized that the couple he had saved was standing next to him.

"Please don't." Belldandy spoke softly as she reached out with her free hand to place it upon Sousuke's shoulder. "Thank you." She smiled.

Sousuke felt a lot of his anger and fear melting away as he made eye contact with the woman. "Sousuke." He spoke.

"I am Belldandy and this is Keiichi Morisato." She smiled as she removed her hand and gestured to the young man who was leaning on her. It seemed a bit theatric as his face wasn't even bruising. Sousuke was impressed by his resilience.

"Thanks." Keiichi smiled. "Is there any way I can repay you?"

"No. I just need to get to school." Sousuke spoke curtly as he turned.

"Nekomi Tech?" Keiichi inquired hopefully.

"Affirmative."

"Then let us take you! We go there too!"

"Oh yes Mr. Keiichi! That would be very nice!" Belldandy blurted out happily as she pointed towards the motorcycle. "You can use the side car and I will hold onto my dear Keiichi." She continued.

Keiichi blushed as another smirk grew on Sousuke's face. "That will do." He agreed as they all took their place on the bike. He assumed that Mithril would be watching him and they would take care of the window on the door. Hopefully they would send him the bill.

The air whipped at Sousuke's face as they motored towards the school. His warm drink was quickly cooling so he took great pains to sip down as much as he could as quickly as possible. The drink was very delicious and he felt he might even make friends with Belldandy and Keiichi.

"Here we are." Keiichi smiled as he pulled his bike into it's normal parking space. He was grateful for the help from the mysterious man who was currently removing himself from the sidecar but also felt suspicious in some way. "I wonder why he was willing to help me." He thought.

"I appreciate the ride." Sousuke thanked them both before turning around.

"Do you need help finding your classes?" Keiichi offered.

"Negative. Thank you." Sousuke replied as he began to make his way towards his first class. How ever, he stopped dead in his tracks as he came face to face with the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

Before him stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her silvery hair and mocha colored skin seemed to glow in the morning light. He was entirely smitten with the avatar of beauty that stood before him. He locked eye contact with her and felt so compelled to freeze that he couldn't move. He was lost in the violet colored pools that stared right back.

"Hello Urd." Belldandy spoke slowly. The puzzled look had returned to her features.

"Uhhh." Urd voiced before finally breaking eye contact with Sousuke. "Book." She continued; holding a large text book up to Belldandy. "Forgot."

"Oh! I did seem to forget my chemistry book!" Belldandy giggled lightly as she reached out with her dainty hand to take the book.

"Can I introduce you to our new friend?" Keiichi piped up as he pointed at Sousuke.

"Hello." Urd spoke much more calmly as she fought to regain her composure. "My name is Urd."

"Sousuke Sagara." The young soldier replied as he held out his hand to take hers.

As their hands clasped, Sousuke felt the entire world spinning. His stomach ached and burned and he wondered if he was going to faint. His heart was beating so fast in his chest that he imagined it might explode at any moment. He was experiencing something he had never experienced and it felt like he had held her hand and stared into her face for years.

"U.. uh... Urd." The Goddess stammered her name in reply again as she broke her eye contact with Sousuke once more. She trained her eyes on Belldandy and exchanged a short burst of telepathy. "I need... to head home."

"I... Thank you." Sousuke blurted before immediately realizing how foolish he sounded. "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." He yelled in his own mind.

Belldandy had witnessed the exchange of energy between Sousuke and Urd before. She had experienced it herself when she met Keiichi for the first time. A special type of bonding is evident between a Goddess and her charge; but this was the first time she had witnessed two strangers to hold such a bond.

Keiichi swiveled his neck to gaze down on Belldandy and realized she was staring at the two before her. "Are you all right?" He whispered lowly.

"I think something very special is going to happen." She replied with a bright smile as she cocked her head to the side.

"Huh." Keiichi replied.

Sousuke was disappointed to see Urd leave but was not averse to watching her walk away. He had never felt as whole as those few moments he had spent holding her hand in a simple gesture of greeting. He could smell her lingering scent in the air even as he watched her round a corner and his stomach ached in protest to her disappearance.

"Who is she?" Sousuke inquired to Keiichi as he rounded upon the man.

"Belldandy's sister." He replied with a smile.

Sousuke contemplated asking how he could see her again, but instead attempted to focus on his main mission; education. "I hope to see all of you again." Sousuke spoke with a nod before making his way towards his first class.

He was traditionally receptive to learning better in the morning than in the evening and so he had scheduled his chemistry, math, and other more complicated courses for the early morning. It had seemed to be the best course of action and he knew his writing and other compositional courses could be easily knocked out in the afternoon.

The Arm Slave track at Nekomi Institute was in infancy as most of the research going into such technology had been performed in major military and government run institutions. The private sector was severely lagging and several Colleges, including Nekomi, were pioneering new programs to encourage development.

The fact that there were so few Arm Slave Programs led Sousuke to wonder if he couldn't open up the first Arm Slave Club. He contemplated sending a letter to his friends at Mithril to see if he could possibly drum up some kind of donation. It was an idea he would keep in mind.

Spending his morning moving from class to class and introducing himself had felt tedious in some ways. It was always the same, he would announce who he was and his decision to pursue the Arm Slave degree and most people would simply stare at his scars or make comments about his formal manner of speech. In some ways it disgusted him how simple minded and weak some of these people were.

When ever he wasn't trying to concentrate on a task, he was day dreaming about Urd. He couldn't get his mind off of her and it amazed him that he had never seen someone so perfect before. He had traveled the globe and never been so smitten. He began to wonder if his affection for Kaname was simply a reaction from being under constant stress and danger.

"Urd." Sousuke whispered softly to himself as he doodled two stick figures holding hands on his notebook. He felt young for the first time in his life.

"What?" Urd question as she turned towards Skuld.

"What?" Skuld replied as she looked up from her Manga.

"You said my name. What do you want?" Urd continued with a sour look on her face.

"Nope." Skuld spoke as she lifted up an eye brow quizzically. "Not me."

Urd scowled more but didn't want to wrestle with the thought that she may be hearing things. She simply accepted that Skuld was working very hard to annoy her. She returned her attention to the television and continued to day dream about the gentleman she had met only hours earlier.

Eventually it became time for lunch and Sousuke found himself making his way towards the chow hall. He understood that part of his tuition entitled him to regular meals that he could acquisition using a small credit card. It reminded him a bit of Mithril and their method of issuing meals.

The smell was generic as he entered the busy cafeteria. A line was forming and he entered it quickly. There was traditional Japanese fair available and he quickly built a solid meal of rice, meats, sauce, salad, and decided that he would treat himself with two small plastic bowls of Jello.

Carrying his tray he began to make his way towards a secluded table when he heard his name called.

"Sousuke!" Belldandy spoke happily as she made her way towards him. "Keiichi and I decided we would like a soda. Do you have any one to sit with?" She inquired.

"Negative." Sousuke replied calmly as he gazed into her eyes. He realized she hadn't looked at him like the others, and he hadn't caught her staring at his scar yet. He found himself feeling that Belldandy was an honest person who he could trust.

"Please. Come sit with us!" Belldandy invited him kindly.

Sousuke waited a moment before replying. "Roger that. I would enjoy that very much."

After Belldandy policed up some drinks and snacks, the pair made their way outside to a foyer that was now filled with students. At one table sat Keiichi and several other individuals.

Sousuke was not aware there would be such a crowd and he began to feel his heart pump harder and harder as he got closer. He noticed two very rough looking older students who were large and dressed very oddly to Sousuke. He noticed the spark plug ear rings first.

"Sousuke!" Keiichi yelled out as he stood up and waved. "This is great! Welcome to lunch!"

"Welcome to lunch?" A female spoke as she leaned around one of the large older students. "Hi. I'm Megumi." She spoke as she extended her hand across the table to Sousuke.

After a few minutes Sousuke had memorized a world wind of names and faces. He had met almost the entire Auto Club and learned that Keiichi's sister attended the institute as well.

The conversation was light but Sousuke realized very quickly that Megumi was using every opportunity to get closer to him. She was asking several personal questions and he alternated between wondering if she may be attracted to him or some sort of spy attempting to mine data on her target.

Seizing the opportunity Sousuke turned to Belldandy and inquired as nonchalantly as possible. "Does Urd attend Nekomi?"

"No. She is a... Accounting Manager at her work." Belldandy spoke carefully as she continued to smile serenely. "She is very good at what she does; but she is enjoying a small vacation."

"I see." Sousuke nodded before taking a sideways glance at Megumi. He realized quickly her demeanor had turned to murderous and he knew very quickly that she made a terrible spy.

Keiichi and Belldandy shared a look as they watched the exchange between Megumi and Sousuke.

As soon as lunch ended, Sousuke immediately made his way back to class. He felt proud that his military service with Mithril had been accepted as partial credit for numerous classes, and he discovered he would be approximately on par with his peers. It would be several more weeks before he could begin his AS-Labs but he was looking forward to it.

Sousuke felt invigorated as he exited the last class of the day. He had met several very nice people who treated him well. He discovered that there existed the perfect ideology of woman, and she was related to one of his new "friends", and he found out that the chow hall at Nekomi Institute scored better than average. He was pleased.

Hiking his backpack into a better position on his shoulders he began to make his way home. Exiting through the front gate of the school he made a right turn and pressed forward. His mind was ablaze with new information. There was a cornucopia of data to process and he felt a little over whelmed as he began associating faces with names and reinforcing his understanding of the subject matters he had been briefed he would learn.

Sousuke made a grave error in his contemplation as he walked. For once, as he became more comfortable with being a civilian; he let his guard down. He didn't notice that he had been spotted or that he was being followed. It was difficult to juggle his past with the future he wanted so badly, and he finally dropped the ball.

He didn't notice the Middle Eastern man who was walking briskly behind him. Who was only half a block away as he began to make his way up the stairs into his apartment building. Who followed him into the apartment building and began to close the gap between them.

Sousuke removed the keys from his pocket and his blood ran cold.

"Kashim." The Middle Eastern man spoke as he pounced on him. The assassin pressed hard with his entire shoulder, slamming Sousuke into the door, a cold blade extended from his hand and into Sousuke's back.

Jamming his key into the door handle, Sousuke twisted the door knob and the pair crashed into the room. His back burned like fire from the knife wound and he attempted to roll out from under his assailant as they struck the ground. "Damn you!" Sousuke hissed.

Taking a fighting stance the assailant smiled as he twirled the knife from a vertical position to a downward grip style. "I will kill you Kashim. You stand unprotected. You have abandoned your position, and now we strike."

Sousuke could feel the warm trickle of blood down his back as he looked about the room. Spying a small stool he had purchased he lunged for it, grabbing one of the legs and heaving it upwards. The assassin thrust outwards with the knife and Sousuke was able to deflect his arm with the stool. Seizing the opportunity Sousuke took a gamble and used both arms to swing the stool down fiercely upon the intruder.

Sensing the blow coming, the man threw his arm upwards to absorb the Sousuke powered projectile bearing down on him. A crash and a crack segued into a sharp yelp from the man who was trying so hard to kill Sousuke. His arm hung limply from a new joint installed by Sousuke; obviously broken.

Stumbling backwards the assassin flipped the blade in his right hand to allow him to grip it in a position that allowed him to throw it, surprising Sousuke. The blade sunk deep into his gut as he fell backwards.

Without confirming his kill, the Middle Eastern Assassin cradled his now broken arm and spat in the direction of the wounded warrior. "I wish you ill Kashim. You will suffer at the gates of heaven and be cast out." He growled as he turned and ran, slamming the door behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

RING RING

"Skuld. Get the phone!" Urd yelled out as the phone began ringing in the hall way.

"You get it!" Skuld yelled in reply.

"NOW SKULD!" Urd growled as she changed positions on the floor.

RING RING RING RING

The phone continued to ring as Urd yelled again "GET THE PHONE SKULD!"

"I CAN'T!" Skuld replied.

"Skuld, what ever you are doing is not that important. Get the phone!" Urd erupted once more.

"No! Really! I can't pick it up!" Skuld yelled back. "The phone won't let me!"

"What?" Urd growled to herself as she stood and began to make her way into the hall way. She found Skuld with one foot on top of the table with both hands wrapped around the receiver heaving with all her might.

RING RING

The phone continued to ring incessantly as the youngest Goddess struggled and tugged with all she had to try to answer the phone.

The commotion attracted Keiichi and Belldandy and they each tried answering the phone. Belldandy even made a short prayer asking for the phone to allow her to answer it before Keiichi finally voiced his thoughts.

"It must be for you Urd." He spoke as they all turned to look at the snow haired Half-Goddess.

RING RING RING

The phone continued to urgently ring as Urd stared at it nervously. It wasn't often that an object turned down Belldandy's requests and now she was the only one who could try answering it. There was a universal inhale as Keiichi and the girls watched intently as Urd moved slowly forward. As she reached the phone she felt compelled to answer; reaching out and slowly lifting the receiver up towards her ear.

"Hello?"

Sousuke lay on his back motionless. Blood pooled around him. His entire being burned as his mind slowly detached itself from his body; he had been injured before but this was different. He was dieing and he knew he was done. Slowly turning his head to the right he spotted his telephone laying on the floor near by. It had been disturbed during the scuffle.

Sousuke attempted to reach for the phone but immediately stopped moving as even more pain racked him. Lifting his head up off the floor he gazed down at the knife embedded in his stomach and contemplated removing the blade as he shielded the weapon with his hands. Deciding against it he once again slowly reached out and scooped up the telephone.

Using his thumb he was able to dial an emergency number. It seemed like forever before the phone began ringing. After an eternity the phone was picked up and he felt his heart drop.

"Goddess help line, this is Karen speaking. How may I help you?" came a voice from the telephone.

"Wrong number." Sousuke chuckled bitterly as the phone began to slip from his hand.

"One moment while we connect you to your party, and thank you for contacting the Goddess help line for all your divine intervention needs." replied the voice.

Belldandy, Keiichi, and Skuld all stood dumb founded. As soon as Urd had spoken into the phone she had been dematerialized into a bright red and blue light and sucked into the receiver. The only evidence that she had been there the moment before were two large bracelets that were currently melting into nothingness on the floor.

"Urds limiters." Belldandy whispered as she stared at the bracelets.

"What?" Keiichi inquired as he too stared at the destroyed jewelry.

"Urd wears power limiters that are mandated by God. She isn't a First Class Goddess and so she is forced to wear those. It prevents her from being able to do things that she shouldn't." Belldandy spoke as she began to move towards the phone.

"Belldandy don't. We don't know what happened yet." Keiichi yelped as he placed himself between the Goddess he loved and the phone that had just abducted her sister.

"It will be fine Mr. Keiichi." Belldandy smiled as she gently pressed her left hand against his chest. "I think I know what happened."

Keiichi placed both hands around Belldandy's and held it to his chest for a moment before stepping aside and allowing her past.

Belldandy reset the receiver and immediately picked it up to her ear again. Pressing the digits quickly she dialed heaven and immediately began trying to find out what had occurred.

Urd was disorientated. One moment she was answering a phone and the next she found herself being ejected from a television in a very dark and cramped room. It immediately donned on her that she was inside of a closet, and as her vision adjusted she noticed light peeking from around the doorway. She was a bit frustrated and suspected Hild or Marla may have had something to do with her predicament.

"All right you buffoons, what's the big idea?" She spat as her finger tips crushed the wooden door while she slammed it open, knocking it off it's hinge.

The sight that befell her was horrible. Splatters of blood were covering most of the floor and some of the wall. There was destroyed furniture about, and the center piece of the entire horrific scene was a still body with a knife jutting upwards from it's midsection.

"What happened?" Urd cried out as she began to walk further into the gruesome scene.

"Oh no! SOUSUKE!" She yelped as she realized that the blood covered face belonged to the man she had only met hours before. "Sousuke!" She cried out again.

A short burst of lucidity came to Sousuke as a strange noise filled his ears. The melodic sound of a woman calling his name beckoned him back from the brink of death. "Urd?" Sousuke moaned as he attempted to tilt his head to gaze at the woman above him.

"Sousuke. I'm here. Every thing is going to be OK." She assured him. She didn't know why she felt so frantic, or why she even cared about this mortal, but something inside of her guided her actions.

"Sousuke, I am a Goddess." She spoke. "I can help you."

"I know you are." Sousuke surprised her with his answer. Then he continued. "I'm dieing and I am talking to myself..." tears began to roll from his eyes.

Urd paused for a moment before placing both hands upon his face, lifting him slowly she cradled his head under one arm while she placed her hand against his cheek. "I want to grant you a wish. What do you want? I will give you any thing you want."

"I finally have what I want." Sousuke laughed weakly as he lifted his hand towards her face. He smeared blood against her cheek as he tried with all his might to focus his eyes upon her.

"Please Sousuke. Make a wish." She begged him.

"I wish. I wish. I wish I could be with a Goddess like you for all time. For as long as you want me." He gasped before loosing consciousness once more.

Urd gasped as the energy inside of her welled and bubbled. Her head began to tilt backwards as one black and one white wing sprouted from her shoulders. A chromatic burst of light began to fill the room and Urd's Angel World of Elegance entered the material plane to hover above Urd and her new charge.

For a moment World of Elegance gazed down upon the two before bowing at the waist to bring her chin to rest on Urd's shoulder. The two-toned angel reached out with tendrils of energy and began to envelope Sousuke, thick lines of black and white energy cocooned him as the Goddess and her Angel attempted to stabilize his condition.

Angelic music filled the room as World of Elegance began to sing. It was as if two harmonious beings were singing, and soon Urd joined in as well. Three voices filled the air as Urd fought to keep Sousuke alive. Demonic energy soon began to flood out of the floor as Holy energy filled the air. She used all of her might to reintegrate his soul into his body.

World of Elegance reached out, placing one hand upon Urds shoulder and the other upon the knife. Gripping it tightly she gazed down into the soldiers eyes and smiled. He smiled back. Then with a flash she had jerked the knife from his stomach and his eyes filled with suffering again.

The blade clattered to the floor as Urd slipped one arm under his legs and the other under his shoulders. She quickly lifted him up, closing her eyes she summoned even more energy before teleporting them back to her home, and hopefully to help.


	8. Chapter 8

World of Elegance hummed gently as she preened her wings. She slowly used her palms to smooth them down across her chest and then flexed them outwards rhythmically. She had been tasked by Urd to "Watch over Sousuke", and so she did. She found it interesting that he didn't do very much except sleep and yet he needed so much attention. She also found it interesting that Sousuke was in Urd's room sleeping on her futon and under her blankets.

"How are you doing Ele?" asked Skuld affectionately as she stood in the doorway of the room. She had heard the Angelic being singing and decided to investigate. "Another sister being stolen away by greedy mortals." Skuld sulked as she gazed at Sousuke.

World of Elegance chuckled in reply before stretching out her wings very wide while tensing up her entire body. Her mouth slowly opened in a yawn and she shook the tiredness off with a quick wiggle.

"He seems a lot more boring than Keiichi. I don't understand why he has to rest so much." Skuld continued. "No one tells me anything."

World of Elegance placed both hands over her stomach and made a painful looking wincing face before pointing at Sousuke.

"Stomach ache huh?" Skuld replied thoughtfully to the enthusiastic grin of World of Elegance. "Maybe Doctor Skuld needs to get on the case!"

World of Elegance clapped excitedly as the Goddess transformed her clothing into something that looked like a nurse's outfit from a by-gone era.

Skuld knelt down at the edge of the futon and placed her wrist on Sousuke's forehead for a moment. "A serious fever I see sir. It looks to me like you might have scurvy, or a cold, or may be the flu and palpitations of the neck." She continued as she pretended to be checking off symptoms on a list with her hands. "Let's see if we can't take a better look. Right nurse Ele?"

World of Elegance nodded her head furiously as she conjured up a nurses cap and began to pretend to take notes as well.

Skuld slipped her finger tips in between Sousuke and the blanket and drew them downwards towards his waist. She gasped as the sight before her began to sink in. Sousuke had scars over most of his visible upper body and they appeared to be of varying ages. Wrapped around his waist was a white bandage covered in very powerful healing runes; runes one didn't employ unless the subject was near or recently dead.

The cold chill in the room caused Sousuke to begin to shake and Skuld quickly covered him in the blanket while taking care to tuck it around his shoulders. World of Elegance quickly began to radiate soft heat in the hopes of warming him and their ministrations were rewarded as he began to calm once more.

"Urrrr." He groaned as one eye slowly began to open.

"He's awake!" shouted Skuld as she tumbled backwards onto her butt. "What do we do Ele?" She urgently questioned.

The Angelic being known as World of Elegance clasped her hands and bowed her head in reply. The prayer she incanted worked quickly as Urd burst through the television in the other room. "Skuld!" Urd bellowed as a loud crash announced her arrival in a pile of electronic parts laid out in front of the television.

"Urd." Sousuke whispered at a barely audible pitch.

"Sousuke! I'm here." She replied frantically as she flew at a fevers pitch into the room and to Sousuke's side.

"Are you safe?" He gasped hoarsely.

"You get hurt and you ask if I am OK?" Urd questioned incredulously.

"It is dangerous." He continued to groan as he weakly attempted to extricate himself from the tightly wrapped blanket.

"You're still weak Sousuke. Not yet." She whispered as gently as possible as she placed her palm against the side of his face. Green energy trickled out from the hands of the Goddess and lulled Sousuke to sleep once more.

"I need to get back to school." Urd spoke quickly before transforming into Sousuke with a wave of her hand. "How do I look?" She laughed.

"Are you sure it's OK to pretend to be Sousuke at school?" Skuld questioned slowly with a tinge of doubt in her voice.

"Of course it is." Urd replied testily before floating back to the television and disappearing through the glass.

Over the next few days Skuld spent much of her time playing with World of Elegance and complaining about Sousuke and Keiichi to the Angelic being. She had heard Urd and Belldandy arguing over something. Skuld wasn't used to seeing Urd and Belldandy argue and it left her uneasy.

"Urd. We don't know what happened yet." Belldandy spoke softly as she reached out to place her hand on Urd's.

"It isn't fair. I don't know what to think. I am so confused about all of this." Urd huffed as she bent forward and sharply flicked over her cup of tea with her fingertip."One minute I am the happiest I have ever been, and the next I feel trapped."

Keiichi scooted backwards as a flow of green tea rushed towards his lap.

"Urd. Behave." Belldandy sharply replied while waving her hand to dispel the mess.

"I don't even know this person. We met once, and now some sort of divine intervention decided we should be saddled together?" Urd continued to complain.

"Urd. Do you remember when you told me you wished you had someone?" Keiichi began before being interrupted.

"This is different." Urd spat. "I wanted to meet someone. I didn't want to have someone thrown on my lap and forced into my life."

"Urd!" Belldandy yelped as she stood up with tears in her eyes. "I don't think that divine providence supplying you with the one you love is hurtful or hateful at all!"

"Maybe you like it! But this isn't the life I wanted!" Urd yelled before she realized just what sort of things she had said. "Bell... I'm sorry."

Soft trickles of tears continued to leak from Belldandy's eyes as Keiichi stood and wrapped his arms around her. "I never meant..." He began to speak before being interrupted with a deep passionate kiss from Belldandy.

Urd was aghast as she realized she was watching her sisters first kiss, and she was crying while it happened.

After a few moments Belldandy released Keiichi and spoke forcefully. "No Mr. Keiichi, nothing was ever forced on me. I wanted to be on Earth and I wanted to be with you forever."

Keiichi would have been so happy if he had heard those words, but he promptly fainted.

MR. KEIICHI! MR KEIICHI!

Skuld found herself spending more and more time with World of Elegance in Urd's room during the day. Keiichi, Belldandy, and Urd spent all their time at school or doing homework and she didn't have much to keep herself busy with.

"This might just do it Ele." Skuld spoke through clenched teeth as she sat on the floor with a screwdriver in one hand and a small circular object in the other. The object creaked as she continued to tighten down a single screw in the top. "I really think I got it this time."

World of Elegance looked up from reading a small manga and tilted her head quizzically.

"I just invented a device that will cure Earths energy problems and usher in world peace." Skuld spoke proudly as she held the object up.

World of Elegance leaned in towards Skuld in an attempt to get a better look at the object in her hand.

"Or create an endless supply of green tea ice cream!" Skuld continued proudly as she slowly lowered the object back down onto her lap. "I'm not sure yet until I perform some more extensive tests."

World of Elegance smirked and rolled her eyes before returning to her manga. She decided that she enjoyed having Skuld around; she kept things interesting.

Sousuke was having trouble focusing, but he swore he heard someone mention ice cream. He was slowly trying to open his eyes, but he felt sluggish and it seemed his eyes didn't want to function properly. He could definitely hear a female voice making slight exclamations as she worked on something. Possibly a child or teen; he wasn't sure.

After what felt like forever he began to get feeling in his toes and fingers. His faculties were returning and he began wiggling his digits. It was slow going but he was emboldened by the new sensations he was experiencing and decided to work in earnest to open his eyes. "C'mon Sousuke." He chanted to himself as he struggled to lift his eyelids. "You can do this."

World of Elegance noticed subtle movements coming from Sousuke and became concerned. Laying down her manga in a flat and open position to save her spot she floated up from the floor and over to her charge. Gazing down into his face, she hovered only inches from him.

"Something wrong Ele?" Skuld inquired as she noticed the Angels odd behavior.

At that moment Sousuke's eyes sprung open and he was shocked to see the odd being from his dream. At least, he thought he had seen this being in his dreams. "What the...?" Sousuke gasped as he painfully yanked himself up and away from the being and the futon he was laying on.

Surprised, World of Elegance immediately disappeared from her perch above Sousuke. Skuld, noticing the Angels behavior decided it might be prudent to follow suit and disappeared as well.

Sousuke's eyes darted about the room. He was seeing things and that wasn't a good thing. "Hello?" He questioned weakly. "Is anyone here?" He tried again to much the same silence.

After waiting a moment he realized no one was around and he decided to see for himself where he was. Looking about the room he noticed it was a traditional Japanese abode and obviously a woman's room. He was surprised to see a fully stocked apothecary and numerous glass instruments. He wondered if he had stepped back in time.

Reaching around himself, Sousuke slowly unwrapped the odd looking bandage around his waist. The thick white linen parted softly and revealed another pink and jagged scar on his stomach and a matching one on his back that he could only identify by touch. "Great, more scars." Sousuke grumbled before heaving himself to his feet.

After steadying himself for a moment he slowly began to shuffle towards the doorway and out into the hallway. He could hear the faint sounds of a television coming from the far end and decided to go investigate. Sousuke gently guided himself down the hallway while supporting his unsteady walk with one hand on the wooden slats that made up the walls of the odd building he was in. He had suspicions that he was actually inside of some sort of temple. "Where am I?" he wondered aloud.

As he slid back the door he was greeted by the familiar sight of Urd standing only a few inches away from the television and facing him. "You're up." She offered in greeting. She seemed so apprehensive.

"Affirmative." Sousuke answered in reply. He wondered if he sounded as unsure as she did.

"Are you feeling better?" Urd continued as she took a few tentative steps towards him.

"I am." Sousuke was unsure of how to ask what was on his mind, but the odd patchwork of memories haunted him. "How did I...?" He began but was cut short as Urd breathed out hard.

"Can I show you?" She asked softly.

"Please." Sousuke nodded as he wondered what he might see.

"Ele. Come out sweety." Urd gently spoke as she clasped her hands in anticipation of Sousuke's reaction.

Sousuke gazed at Urd and wondered what was going to happen when he noticed movement behind her. Slowly, a figure with half white and half black hair began to peak her head up from behind Urd's shoulder. Sousuke realized that the being behind Urd had two-tone wings and was absolutely beautiful. He couldn't help but stare.

"Are you all right?" Urd inquired, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sousuke didn't know what to say, his dream was in fact reality, and Urd really was some kind of... some kind of... "What... What are you? A Goddess?" He whispered in reply.

"Yea. Sort of." Urd giggled as she realized that Sousuke wasn't very afraid. Picking up on the increasingly positive energy emanating from Sousuke, World of Elegance raised herself into full view behind Urd and spread her wings wide. She smiled mischievously as Sousuke ducked slightly and then began to walk towards Urd.

Urd was surprised by how quickly Sousuke closed the gap between them, he was standing very close and gazing up at World of Elegance with a curious look on his face.

"My name is Sousuke. It's a pleasure to meet you." He spoke as he extended his hand up and over Urd's shoulder. World of Elegance gave a puzzled look at his hand and then reached out and gave him a high five and a big smile.

Sousuke could only smile in return before looking back down at Urd. "I don't know how to thank you." He began. "I just... I wouldn't be here without you."

"I know." Urd replied in an attempt to look flippant. "I guess I was in the neighborhood."

Sousuke chuckled before reaching out to take Urds hands in his. "Thank you." He spoke.


	9. Chapter 9

"No." Urd deadpanned as she stood between Sousuke and the doorway out of the temple. "You need to rest for a bit longer."

"Urd, it is imperative that I..." Sousuke began before being interrupted once more.

"No means no Sousuke." Urd growled as she crossed her arms. "We can make Skuld or Keiichi do whatever it is you want to do."

Keiichi laughed lightly from one corner of the room while Skuld glared daggers at Urd.

"Weren't they just holding hands like an hour ago?" Keiichi thought aloud.

"I believe they were." Belldandy concurred as she smiled serenely, her gaze on her older sister.

"It is not my intention to be a burden upon Keiichi, your sister, or you." Sousuke replied calmly to Urd, his eyes locked onto hers. "I am in need of supplies to include currency, clothing, and necessary equipment for educational and otherwise purposes."

"And Keiichi can't get this stuff for you?" Urd continued to argue while throwing her arms into the air, obviously flustered with him.

"Urd. If I may, I would like to enter negotiations with you." Sousuke spoke as a brilliant idea came to him.

"Like?" Urd replied with a suspicious look on her face.

"Would you be amiable to the idea of me acquiring my own needs if I accept Keiichi as my battle buddy? If he is willing, he could reconnoiter with me to the necessary locations." Sousuke offered.

"I can do that. I think." Keiichi piped up which drew a dour look from Urd.

"That would give Urd and I time to speak. I think that is an excellent idea Mr. Keiichi!" Belldandy cooed from her seated position next to her love. "The boys can go out together and we can spend some time together!"

Urd glared incredulously at her younger sister before sighing exasperatedly. "Fine! You go 'buddy reconnoiter' and 'battle shop' but we are going to talk when you get back."

Sousuke could feel his heart crashing in his chest, he was unsure of how to behave around this beautiful creature he had just been tied to, and his anxiety was beginning to return. "Affirmative." He replied before wiping at the sweat on his forehead with the back of his bare arm.

Urd could see the strange aura convolute around Sousuke and she could sense how uncomfortable he was. It was apparent that he was having difficulty with their argument and she made a decision at that very moment. "We talk now." She spoke a little too forcefully before grabbing him by the arm and drawing him out of the room.

"I'm sorry." Sousuke began. "I just... I don't know."

"Sousuke, tell me what is wrong? I just wanted to protect you. I am sorry." Urd's resolve weakened as she drew her charge into a hug.

Sousuke was confused, his heart was thumping in his ears, and he didn't know how to protect what few threads of sanity and hope he was holding onto. "You don't want this." Sousuke finally whispered.

"What?" Urd gasped as she drew back from Sousuke to look into his eyes, though she extended every effort to keep him in her arms.

"I am broken. I don't... I have problems with anxiety and PTSD and so many things that I don't know how to control. I have these issues. Issues you don't need or deserve." Sousuke was melting in her arms. He wanted to give her a way out. He didn't want to be hurt again, and he didn't want her to be hurt. He didn't even know why he had taken her hand. He should have pushed her away sooner.

Urd was attempting to discern his spiritual and physical energies and found herself having difficulties. She contemplated the different things she could do to help both of them and decided that there really was only one option. "Let me be the judge of that." She spoke softly.

Sousuke looked up into her eyes and felt vulnerable. He expected to be hit, or punched, or thrown out of the house, but he didn't expect what happened next.

"This isn't going to be pleasant, but we are going to look into your heart." She continued with a soft and level voice. "I need to see why you feel these things."

"It's ugly. I don't approve." Sousuke dejectedly grumbled.

"Please?" Urd offered encouragingly, hoping she didn't sound patronizing.

Sousuke's shoulders slumped as he nodded. He had beliefs about what would happen next. In his mind he ran over the worst case scenarios over and over, and all of them ended with him being alone again. Although in his mind, he felt it was deservingly.

Urd placed the palms of her hands on his cheeks and pressed her index fingers against his temples. The rest of her fingers fanned out and gently flattened them self against his scalp. "It won't take long, but you might not like it."

Urd slowly closed her eyes and Sousuke felt wanting as he watched the pools of violet he adored so much disappear behind her cinnamon brown lids.

Sousuke lay in the arms of his savior having just been rescued from the burning wreckage where his parents died.

Sousuke knelt on the floor clutching his stomach where he had been punched by a larger Russian boy in the orphanage he spent some of his youth in.

Sousuke stood over the same Russian boy with a bloody tree branch in his hand. He had exacted his revenge.

Sousuke felt a brief flicker of joy as he activated the diesel motor of a very old Arm Slave.

The joy faded as he marched through occupied buildings in a village in Russia with no remorse for those trapped inside.

Sousuke relived every moment of every kill he ever executed. He watched friends, foes, and innocents perish. He felt fear, anger, hate, and then a small glimmer of hope.

A blue haired woman appeared in a sea of death and destruction and she pays attention to him. He grows attached and she abuses him. He feels love and pain and cannot differentiate the two. Then only suffering once more fills his senses until Urd's face flashes and he feels excitement, hope, and fear.

Sousuke fell backwards violently from the olive skinned Goddess as he swiftly jerked his head away from her. He immediately began to wretch as he convulsed and cried uncontrollably. His mind was fogged over with raw emotions dredged up by the Goddess. Emotions that were no longer checked by his psychic censor.

"Oh my!" Yelled Belldandy as she rushed into the room. "Mr. Sousuke!" Belldandy cried out before waving her hand in his direction causing his mind to grow blank. He grew motionless and appeared empty on the floor.

"I didn't know." Urd quietly spoke as she gazed off blankly towards the wall. "I didn't know.

"Urd?" Keiichi spoke as he walked slowly towards the Goddess. "Are you all right?"

"I didn't know." She continued to chant as she gently swayed and shivered; her stare still a thousand miles long.

"What happened?" Keiichi spoke softly as he drew himself closer to the "What Goddess did you do to Sousuke?" He queried.

"I didn't know. I tried to find out. I looked..." Urd began to cry as she turned her head to look at Keiichi. "I didn't know."

Keiichi looked to Belldandy who shook her head once before reaching out to press her thumb against the glyph that marked Urd's fore head. "They aren't your memories. Don't live in them." She commanded as Urd's facial expression returned from blank to horrified.

"Sousuke!" She yelped as she kneeled down and twisted the soldier into her arms. Grasping him close she enervated him with her powers, scared of what she may have done to him.

"Told you." Sousuke whispered weakly as he gazed upwards into Urd's face. "No good."

"No. Mine." Urd smiled as she allowed the tiny tears welling from her eyes to drop softly onto Sousuke's face. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"No one else needs to know." Sousuke replied as he lifted his hand to wipe away the tears dripping from Urd's face. "But now you do."

"I understand."

"I know."

"You don't have to be worried any more. I'm not going anywhere. Ever." Urd whispered softly.

Keiichi had lent Sousuke some much too small clothes and they had left the temple at approximately 1300 hrs. Sousuke had insisted on leaving immediately even after the memory regression fiasco. Of course, Keiichi had only been too happy to comply as he had began to feel sorry for how Sousuke was constantly finding himself injured in some way.

"If you will take me to this location; we can acquire all of the supplies I will need." Sousuke spoke above the road of the motorbike as he pointed down at an address written on a slip of paper. The paper had been in his wallet when he had been stabbed.

"Sure!" Keiichi smiled as they continued to motor down the highway even though he was pretty sure that there weren't any stores in the area of that location.

After a few minutes of travel they arrived in an industrial part of town. The buildings were dirty and the streets seemed dank. There weren't very many people walking about and it made Keiichi a little nervous.

"Come with me." Sousuke spoke as he painfully removed himself from the side car of the motorbike. "We need to walk to where we are going."

"All right." Keiichi replied as he removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm. "So where are we going?"

"Are you aware of what a dead drop is?" Sousuke asked as they slowly walked up the dingy and nearly deserted street.

"No." Keiichi replied. "What is it?"

"A dead drop is a location where someone might leave a message or a package for you to pick up. It works like a two way radio in a way. Sometimes." Sousuke explained.

"Oh." Keiichi voiced, though he wasn't entirely sure he understood the concept completely.

"Here." Sousuke spoke as he stopped in his tracks. The sidewalk curved to the right and the buildings all around were still nondescript. Looking around Sousuke turned to Keiichi. "I need you to turn around and look directly down into the drainage area; where the curb meets the street."

Keiichi turned and realized they were standing above a hollow area of ground, where rain water might be funneled into, though the entrance was fairly well disguised by the construction. He really hadn't noticed it at all now that he thought about it. Inside the depression in the ground was a small and barely visible black handle.

"Get the brief case." Sousuke spoke as he looked about.

"Uhhh... OK." Keiichi mumbled as he knelt down and reached deep into the dark crevice. Finding that he was able to just barely reach the handle, he gripped it and heaved a black heavy suit case upwards out of the dank pit. Small droplets of water dripped scandalously on the pavement as he handed it to Sousuke.

"We must egress from this location immediately." Sousuke spoke as he began to walk once more. Sousuke was apparently familiar with the layout of the area because he was able to guide Keiichi back towards his motorcycle in a manner which seemed to never double back. His sense of direction was impeccable.

Keiichi replaced his helmet on his head and climbed onto the saddle of his bike. He waited a moment for Sousuke to make himself comfortable and secure his brief case before he placed his keys into the bike and kick started the motor to life. "Where do we go next?"

"Please take us to the local shopping mall." Sousuke replied as he began to enter the combination to the briefcase. After a few moments the arms that held the case shut swung open with a thud and he lifted the lid of the case. Inside of the case, both sides were sealed with some sort of wrap that could be removed by tugging a string. Sousuke gently placed his finger tips down onto the bottom compartment of the case and felt the contents that were obscured. He appeared confident that he had chosen the right side as he quickly yanked the string and the contents were revealed.

Inside of the case were two thick wads of cash, one in American currency and the other in Japanese. A pistol sat over top the cash and an oddly shaped two inch long canister lay embedded in the foam next to it. What appeared to be clothes that had been vacuum packed lay next to that and in the top right hand corner was a cell phone and an identification card with Sousuke's photo on it.

Lifting the phone out of the snug embrace of the foam Sousuke held the ID card in one hand and the phone in the other as he began to dial the number on it. "Sagara. 6302." He spoke and then closed the phone before placing it back into the foam cubbyhole. He then placed the ID card into his pocket.

Keiichi immediately noticed the money and the handgun and began to become very nervous. "Uhhh... What is all that?" Keiichi questioned.

"This is called a cache." Sousuke replied as he picked the Glock G36 up and pulled back the slide halfway to reveal a .45ACP hollow point round nestled snugly in the chamber. The weapon clattered softly as he allowed the slide to rush forwards once again before dropping the magazine and ensuring it was carrying a full accoutrement of matching rounds.

Keiichi continued to try to concentrate on the road as he couldn't help but sneak glances at the soldier at work.

"This is called a suppressor. In particularly this is a 'Shorty' suppressor that was custom developed for very methodical work." Sousuke continued to explain as he removed the small two inch long canister from its nestle in the foam and began to screw it onto the threaded barrel of the tiny handgun. After a few seconds he had completed his task and the laser etched image of a cartoonish pig spitting fire was visible from the side of the weapon, etched into the metal of the suppressor.

"It won't support sustained fire, but it should keep the noise to a minimum for about 7 rounds, exactly the number of bullets found in this handgun." Sousuke continued as he lifted his shirt and slipped the weapon down into the waistband of his pants.

Keiichi felt compelled to ask more questions but thought strongly against it. He decided that if Urd and Belldandy trust him, then he would as well. Guns, Ammo, 'Dead Drops', and stabbings aside; Sousuke had helped him and they were friends now. Friends trusted friends.

Sousuke placed his finger tips against the black material obscuring the contents in the upper compartment and a look of disbelief overcame his face. He continued to prod and poke for a moment before chuckling. "This is not regulation issue." He laughed and grabbed part of the cash stack before gripping the top of the case and shutting it causing the password to reset.

"I would like to take a moment to say thank you for all of the assistance you have offered to me." Sousuke spoke as they continued to drive towards the 'Mall'.

"You make Urd happy. A happy Urd is a happy Belldandy. A happy Belldandy... well you get the idea." Keiichi replied with a smile.

Sousuke smiled contently as the weight of the pistol pressing against his pelvis gave him comfort. He had activated his license to carry the weapon internationally once more, and with the other goodies that he knew were in the brief case, he once more felt whole.

A shadowy figure keyed the microphone of his communications array as he reclined in his Arm Slave, the cloaked machine stood over watch on the drop sight that Sousuke had visited only minutes before. The green and red lights of the center console flickered across his face, obscuring him. "The target just picked up the package."

"Excellent. Can you confirm identification?" returned a feminine voice through the speakers within the mechanized cocoon.

"I can confirm. He appears injured. I believe we can officially declare the other one an impostor. I am relaying two photographs; the second subject will need to be identified. He appears to be assisting our target." Spoke the man.

"Roger that." Came a reply. "Stand by for orders."

After a minute the female voice crackled one more time. "Negative on operation black cat. Please prepare for immediate pick up. The button is go. I repeat the button is go."

"Roger that." The man replied before lifting a magazine up from his lap revealing the racy cover that was adorned with Japanese female pop artists. "Good luck Sousuke." He spoke only to himself.

Sousuke and Keiichi arrived at the mall and Sousuke immediately headed for a store that offered very dressy and expensive clothes. Stepping inside, Keiichi felt very out of place as a flamboyant salesman with a slight lisp approached them.

"Can I help you two?" the man asked incredulously as he looked at their clothes.

"Size 40 regular. 34 regular shirt. 32 waist. Size 9 shoes. Wool pants, black leather shoes, Burberry shirt. Make it a short sleeve. I am feeling adventurous." Sousuke spoke quickly causing the man to raise his eye brow.

"Yes sir!" He spoke loudly before swinging his hips outwards and his hands in a limp fashion as he bustled off to acquire everything Sousuke requested.

"Wow." Keiichi chuckled before sharing a look with Sousuke. "So that's what these places look like on the inside?"

Sousuke shrugged. "I normally buy all my possessions off of the internet. I was not aware of the colorful help."

"Well, when in Rome." Keiichi chuckled some more before wandering off to look at more of the clothes.

After several minutes of trying on clothes, Sousuke found exactly what he wanted. He had black leather shoes, a short sleeve button up shirt in a blue plaid color, black wool lightweight pants, and a black leather belt. He was pleased with how he looked at he inspected himself in the mirror.

"This will do." Sousuke spoke as he handed the man \$$300$ dollars. "Keep the change." Sousuke spoke.

The man immediately pocketed a \$$100$ bill and thanked him.

"This is nice." Keiichi whistled as he looked at a mannequin wearing a tuxedo. "I sure wish I had something like this. I would take Belldandy to a nice restaurant!"

Turning to look at the man who had helped him, Sousuke pointed at Keiichi and then back at the mannequin.

The helper lifted one hand to his chin and the other to his hip as he gazed back and forth between the tux and Keiichi. "32 short." The man piped before heading to the back and gathering up the complete outfit.

Sousuke waited patiently while Keiichi tried it on, and after sounds of approval from several people who had walked past him while he stood in front of the mirror, Keiichi finally asked how much it would cost.

"It's all yours." The helper smiled as he ushered him back into the changing room. "I'll pack it all up for you once you get back into your regular clothes."

Sousuke smiled approvingly at the helper and they eventually left the store with their packages in hand. Sousuke having purchased himself a Tux, and several other articles of clothing as well.

"I can't believe it!" Keiichi laughed. "I guess he liked me!" He laughed.

Sousuke nodded as he laughed. "I guess so too." He felt a lot better now that he had bought Keiichi something, even if it had been secretly. He didn't mind wearing clothes he felt were comfortable either.

"Think all this will fit in the bike?" Keiichi asked as they stood around his motorcycle.

"Perhaps I could help just a little?" Belldandy spoke as her face appeared in the rear view mirror of the bike.

"That would be great Belldandy!" Keiichi replied as he looked about to make sure no one was looking.

Closing her eyes, Belldandy energized the packages and they each flew into the mirror one by one, disappearing. "Come home soon! I miss you!" She smiled before disappearing once more.

"Handy." Sousuke breathed as his surprise began to turn into wonder.

"You should see what she did in my bedroom once." Keiichi smiled before realizing how provocative his words sounded. "I meant!" he stuttered as Sousuke raised an eye brow. "She flew through a glass mirror and then destroyed my whole room once with a lightning bolt. When we first met!" He yelped.

Sousuke smiled as he watched his friends cheeks turn red. "I'll be sure to ask about her bedroom antics when we return."

"No!" Keiichi yelped a bit louder before realizing that Sousuke was pulling his leg. "Ugh. I can't believe I said it like that." Shaking his head, he mounted the bike and the pair headed home.

"So what else do they do besides watch our every move and teleport packages?" Sousuke laughed as he listened to several stories from Keiichi about his Goddess girlfriend and her two sisters.


	10. Chapter 10

Urd frowned as she stared at Belldandy. Her younger sister had mentioned they were going to talk while the boys were out of the house and they hadn't done much more then pass glances between each other. Urd ran her fingers through her hair while she tried to decide how to start her conversation.

Belldandy smiled serenely while she knitted some odd bit of clothing for Keiichi. The soft clicking of the knitting needles was glaringly loud in the quiet room.

"Argh!" Urd exploded as she whipped her hand out of her hair.

"Am I..?

"Yes."

"But he!"

"Is only human."

"What if he!"

"Divine providence will provide for all of us in the manner we need." Belldandy continued to smile while the clicking of the knitting needles continued to echo through the room.

"This is supposed to be us talking." Urd grumbled as she leaned herself down onto her side, resting her face on the palm of her hand.

"We are talking Urd." Belldandy giggled. "You need to understand that humans are fragile but we have to allow things to occur as they will. We can protect them from all manner of incidents but we can't protect them from themselves."

"I'm not controlling him." Urd sulked. "I just don't..."

"Want to be alone?" Belldandy offered.

"Yea." Urd slipped her elbow out from beneath herself and lay on her back. She then crossed her legs and placed her hands behind her head. "He is stronger then I give him credit."

"Would you be upset if I asked to be allowed to look?" Belldandy questioned as she placed her knitting needles down and placed her full attention on Urd.

"I can't let you do that. He said it's just for me." Urd turned her head to make eye contact with Belldandy. "He trusts me. I am not going to lose that."

"I understand. I can see in his aura how his energy reacts. He is always sad or afraid. He never seems to rest." Belldandy continued as she pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped them in her arms. "It would be impossible for me to see that from Keiichi. I couldn't live like that."

"He has had a hard life." Urd replied in an attempt to be guarded with her information. "I can understand why he has such an aura. I wonder if it's my other heritage that attracts me to him."

"You think that your demonic blood draws you to people like that?" Belldandy attempted to clarify.

"Troubadour was the only being I have ever dated; I wanted to stay as far away from someone who is experiencing pain as possible. Troubadour was a plum spirit and a fop. He couldn't feel emotional pain if someone punched him in the soul." Urd laughed as she turned her head back to stare at the roof of the building. "Sousuke isn't like that. I know everything about him now. I... He let me read his soul. That is why he collapsed."

Belldandy continued to stare at her older sister with a look that bordered on pity on her face. "I've heard of people who react to that technique in such a way."

"People who have seen death." Urd offered.

"Something like that." Belldandy confirmed as she lowered her chin to her knees, still curled in a small ball. "We both know it's more than that."

"More than you might think."

"How do you feel about him now?" Belldandy whispered.

"If you lost Keiichi, God forbid, what would you do?" Urd replied in turn.

"Die inside." Belldandy smiled weakly as the thought of loosing Keiichi caused her stomach to churn painfully.

"Same." Urd spoke calmly as she plucked a few strands of hair from her long flowing locks and placed the tips in between her lips; she chewed on them absentmindedly. "Did you read Keiichi?"

"Yes." Belldandy laughed lightly. "It was markedly less dramatic than your reading." She giggled as she remembered the day.

"What happened?" Urd questioned.

"He cried. I cried. We hugged." Belldandy spoke as she continued to go over the moment in her mind. "He was a little depressed for a week or so. I did my best to make it up to him." Belldandy continued.

Urd tried to smile as the pit of her stomach fell through the floor. "I don't know how he survived. What I did." Urd's smile faded as she uncrossed her legs and lay flat on the floor. He arms fell limp at her side.

"What? Why?" Belldandy questioned.

"He is the strongest figure emotionally speaking I have ever met." Urd continued as tears welled up in her eyes. She still couldn't shake off Sousuke's memories. "He is more resilient then I could ever be. You have no idea."

"I am sure you are exaggerating." Belldandy replied.

"No. Let me show you." Urd spoke as she offered her arm outwards in the direction of Belldandy. Urd's fingers and thumb all touched tips and she held her hand palm up.

Belldandy released her grip on her legs as she drew herself onto her knees and crawled forward to mimic Urd's hand, allowing their finger tips to touch. "Oh my!" She yelped while drawing her hand away.

"See?" Urd questioned as she withdrew her hand to rest across her stomach.

"Is that the full force?" Belldandy asked incredulously.

"About half. Give or take." Urd replied before wiping at her eyes lightly.

"I didn't think it was possible." Belldandy whispered as she gently rubbed her hand with her other. "How? Why?"

"He has all the horrors of Hell locked away inside. I drew that out. I drew it all out at once and I hurt him more." Urd gushed. "I am a horrible Goddess."

"Urd." Belldandy cooed as she scooted across the floor to usher her sister into her arms. "Don't say such things. You can't expect to know everything. You are a Goddess..."

"Half Goddess." Urd interrupted spitefully.

"You're my sister and you're a better Goddess than half the Goddesses in heaven I promise." Belldandy smiled.

"What do I do? I know all about him. I have lived every one of his memories and bathed in his soul." Urd spoke. "How do I show him I care? It takes mortals a life time to explore what I did in moments and I hurt him doing it."

"You can't take it back. But you can make it up to him." Belldandy spoke. "You can do something he likes, cook him something good, or just give him an opportunity to talk to you."

"Do you think he would like my cooking?" Urd questioned.

"Of course he will like your cooking." Belldandy laughed.

"Or I could... you know." Urd grinned as she looked into her sisters eyes.

"Let's start with cooking." Belldandy laughed.

Sousuke and Keiichi eventually made it home. Keiichi parked the bike under its awning and they stretched their legs for a moment after the long ride.

"Thank you." Sousuke spoke. "I appreciate your help and hospitality."

"Of course!" Keiichi spoke as he gave Sousuke a thumbs up and a grin. "I already explained to you how nice it is to have a happy Urd."

Sousuke smiled while he tried to formulate his question into words. "Is it... strange?"

"To feel so strongly about her?" Keiichi offered.

"Affirmative."

"Not at all. Belldandy explained to me that we humans have stars that bless or curse us. As the energy in that star ebbs and flows, sometimes it takes the power of a Goddess to step in and bring a little equilibrium. I guess you can call us the hardship cases. Natural Goddess magnets." Keiichi laughed.

"All of my hardships can be blamed on a star?" Sousuke questioned as he tilted his head to look up at the sky. "That revelation is upsetting."

"Not exactly. Just that we have stars that can extend a particular type of energy that causes us harm." Keiichi spoke with a knowledgeable tone in his voice. "I mean, that is how it worked for me. I assume it is the same for you. Two college students, getting picked on or beat up or what ever. You know how it goes right?"

"I have my suspicions that our predicaments are slightly different." Sousuke replied calmly.

"Well, did you get picked on a lot in High School?" Keiichi inquired before offering. "I did.

"I did not attend High School." Sousuke replied.

"Uhh... Middle School?" Keiichi continued.

"I did not attend any form of formal civilian education. I was provided a rudimentary education in a camp outside of Kandahar by a Corporal named Zeitsev. All of my intellectual pursuits have been self motivated and taught." Sousuke continued.

"Wow. Where is Kandahar?" Keiichi inquired.

"In the desert." Sousuke replied before pointing towards the house. "Something smells delicious."

"Must be Belldandy. She loves to cook!" Keiichi spoke as he practically skipped towards the entrance to the temple.

Sousuke followed Keiichi into the house. He could smell something familiar. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the closer he got to the house the more he salivated.

"SOUSUKE! Move Keiichi!" Urd yelped as Keiichi opened the door to the temple.

"Hey! Ouch! Sorry!" Keiichi blurted as he quickly attempted to side step the Goddess that was pushing him out of the way.

"Welcome home." Urd spoke sweetly as she ushered Sousuke into the house. "I made you something good to eat."

Sousuke was flabbergasted. He couldn't get his eyes off of the Goddess standing before him. Urd was wearing a very colorful Japanese kimono with angelic beings sewn into the fabric. A kaleidoscope of colors radiated from the fabric and her hair was pulled up into two very long flowing pigtails that drooped off of the top of her head like a cascade of snow.

"Are you all right?" Urd asked cautiously as she lowered her chin and looked at Sousuke.

"Urd. You are perfect." Sousuke breathed as he reached out to lift her chin with his finger tips. A feeling of awe and admiration chiseled his features into a lopsided grin. "I can't believe this."

Keiichi couldn't help but watch the exchange. He found his way to Belldandy's side and viewed the exchange between Urd and Sousuke. "Do I still look at you like that?" He questioned Belldandy.

"Every day." She smiled before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. "And I expect it to last forever Mr. Keiichi."

Keiichi blushed furiously as he felt heat burning his cheeks.

"EWWW!" Skuld cried out as she entered the room. "All of you are gross!"

"Skuld. Give me one reason I shouldn't stuff your head in the banana pudding?" Urd growled as she turned to look at the youngest Goddess.

"I would like it?" Skuld asked sweetly. "Now keep your hands off my sisters you perverts and let's eat!" she cried out before making her way to the table and plopping down on a pillow on the floor.

Sousuke smirked as he slipped his hand into Urd's and guided her to the table. "Perhaps we should listen to the young Grill Sergeants directions?" He chuckled softly at his own joke as the rest of the room simply looked at him.

"Grill Sergeant?" Skuld growled as she lifted an eye brow at Sousuke.

"Drill Sergeant. Grill Sergeant. Grill because of food?" Sousuke spoke before shrugging. "Never mind."

"OH! I get it! Because she is bossy?" Keiichi spoke before realizing his mistake. "I meant cute!" He yelped as a black blur vaulted over the table and tackled him.

"What did you say?" Skuld growled as she gripped Keiichi by the shirt as he lay on his back.

"And dinner is ruined." Urd sighed as she sat down and picked up a large bottle of sake. Urd slowly unwrapped the top of the bottle and began to drink.

"Urd. I disagree." Sousuke spoke softly as he reached out to take the sake bottle from her.

"I need this." Urd replied slowly pulling the bottle backwards to keep it out of Sousuke's reach.

Sousuke lifted an eye brow causing Urd to crack into a cackling laugh.

"Really! Every Goddess has a form of sustenance that helps them to recharge. It just so happens mine is sake. Skuld eats ice-cream." Urd grinned before taking another swig of sake.

"Interesting." Sousuke spoke before looking down at the food and ignoring the commotion coming from Skuld as she continued to yell at Keiichi.

On the wooden table was laid a veritable smörgåsbord. There were plates of thinly cut vegetables, raw beef piled to one side, and slowly simmering in the center was a spice laden crock filled with cooked meat. Spices, kimchi, and other pickled delights were stacked in individual bowls.

"I love to eat this way." Sousuke whispered as he reached out and lifted a pair of chopsticks up, he began removing bits and pieces of everything on the table onto his plate. "You prepared all of this for me?" He asked Urd.

"HEY! FOR ALL OF US!" Skuld yelped; interrupting Urd's answer. The youngest Goddess immediately returned to her side of the table and lifted a pair of chopsticks as well, struggling to remove as much of the food as she could onto her plate.

Sousuke placed his plate down and bit back a smile as he watched each person around the table gather their food and begin eating. He felt like he had a real family. Not that he didn't feel that his brothers and sisters in arms in Mithril were not close; but these were "normal" people; well as normal as a College kid and a bunch of Goddesses go.

"Thank you." Sousuke whispered before reaching over to place his hand on top of Urd's. She immediately curved her hand to grip his and smiled.

"Ew." Skuld growled before continuing to stuff her mouth.

"Do you like it?" Urd questioned tentatively.

Blowing gently on a piece of meat, Sousuke placed it on his tongue and nearly melted. "It's delicious." He spoke. "Heavenly."

"Oh brother." Skuld coughed as bits of food splattered out of her mouth.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Urd grumbled at Skuld before smiling at Sousuke. "I had a little help from Belldandy."

"I just helped her develop the marinade." Belldandy piped up.

After all of the meat had been cooked and every one had ate their fill, Sousuke sighed contently. He watched as Skuld made her way to the kitchen in search of ice-cream and Belldandy and Keiichi cleaned the table at their own insistence. He felt as though he were imposing again, but realized that they may in fact be trying to leave Urd and him alone.

"Good?" Urd questioned again, an almost fragile look on her face.

"I can safely say I have never had a better meal in my life. I may never be able to pick up another MRE again." Sousuke smiled.

"Good." Urd nodded, she had gone strangely quiet.

Sousuke felt like the room was filling with energy. He could see a look in Urd's eye that he was not used to. Desire? Love? Something was rolling around in her head and she seemed to be making a decision. Slowly she began to lean towards him, her eyes closed and she pursed her lips.

Sousuke's heart began to accelerate. She was edging closer to him, slowly, and he had an idea what she wanted to do. He couldn't believe it; was he so lucky? Mustering his courage he began to lean forward as well. He could smell spice and sake, it was intoxicating, and his mouth began to grow dry with anticipation. As their lips grew ever closer...

"NEEEEE –SAAAAAN!" Skuld screamed as she entered the room with an empty box of ice-cream held precariously upside down in her hand. "I AM OUT OF ICE CREAM!" She then looked down at the now startled couple and spoke with an annoyed tone of voice. "Ew. Gross."

Sousuke smiled and looked down towards the tatami floor, his right hand reaching out to stroke Urd's cheek. "It appears that I may need to go on a supply raid."

"Skuld." Urd hissed dangerously. Heat began to erupt off of the cinnamon brown Goddesses entire being in slow and methodical waves.

"I NEED ice-cream." Skuld whined. "And you two don't need to be doing whatever it is you two think you were doing."

"I can get it." Sousuke spoke comfortingly to Skuld as he stood. "What is your favorite flavor?"

"Green tea." Skuld spoke with a suspicious tone of voice. "You aren't mad?"

"Negative. It's nice to have a little sister." Sousuke smiled. "Would you like to go with me to get it?" He asked.

"Uhhmmmm...." Skuld thought aloud as she looked down into the empty container in her hand. "Sure!" She finally erupted.

"Urd. Requesting permission to make a midnight raid on the local grocery store. Approximate eta to departure is 3 minutes and estimated return less than 35 minutes." Sousuke spoke quickly to Urd.

"Uhhh... Ok." Urd replied with a slightly confused look on her face. "Sure." Urd had wanted to be angry at Skuld, but she realized that Sousuke had always wanted to have a family, and now he did. He had two sisters, and Urd yearned that he would wish her to be his in more than words.

"Hey Sousuke!" Skuld cried out as she scampered to grab a pair of shoes. "You aren't nearly as lame as Keiichi!" She laughed.

"Just two different people." Sousuke replied with an admonishing look on his face. "So tell me about some of these electronic things you like to work on. Do you know about Arm Slaves?"

"DO I?" Skuld laughed before entering on a tirade about why the AS was inferior to her own robot she had built.

Urd watched as the pair exited the temple and she sighed. She couldn't believe that Skuld was being nice to him, and Sousuke seemed to genuinely care for her family. He wasn't frustrated or angry, and he seemed thankful for even the smallest things. "It's amazing." Urd sighed as she reached out for another bottle of sake, she felt like she needed some small token to hide her wistful dreams of wearing a white dress with Sousuke by her side.

Keiichi and Belldandy returned from the kitchen where they had been cleaning dishes and smiled at Urd. They were holding hands and some small part in Urd's soul was jealous that they were so close, even though Sousuke was only minutes away again.

"Why didn't you go with them?" Keiichi asked as he pointed at the now closed front entranceway. "Too much Skuld for one night?"

"I think it will be good if they become friends." Urd spoke as she swirled the bottle of sake in her hand rhythmically. "I want Skuld to approve of him, she's annoying, but that doesn't mean I don't love her."

Belldandy nodded and then looked at Keiichi before speaking. "She loves you too. Just in her own way. She knows how important you are to me. She does care though."

"I know." Keiichi smiled.

"So you don't think that the Gen 1 Arm Slave, code named Shadow, was an appropriate entry into bipedal mechanized warfare by the United States Government?" Sousuke questioned as he walked next to Skuld.

"Definitely not. They had alternative projects like 'Sparks' and even 'Oak' in development at Skunk Works. They are behind a Generation because they fielded that very model and poured too much into upgrading it instead of scrapping it when they should have." Skuld replied quickly.

"I see." Sousuke considered her answer carefully before continuing. "I think that their decision to stay out of the Gen 4 market may be a boon in the long run. I don't see the 4 machines as having staying power. I expect with the development of projects such as Lambda; we may see Gen 5 before 4 even gets off of the ground."

"I think we really should be calling the Gen 4 offerings something closer to 3.5 then giving them a full designator." Skuld continued.

"That, I can agree with." Sousuke nodded his head before taking a moment to look about. His senses were still sharp and he couldn't help but stay on the alert as he walked through the crisp evening air with the young Goddess by his side.

"Good." Skuld spoke playfully as she smiled. "You are sort of smart. You know, for a human." She continued to speak as she looked up at Sousuke. "Have you had much experience with the AS platform?"

"Affirmative." Sousuke replied. "I have logged a little over 9 thousand hours in different AS platforms. Including Gen 1s."

"Wow!" Skuld exclaimed. "Really?"

"Affirmative. I have extensive firsthand experience with advanced 4 gen technology." Sousuke continued. He felt a little proud as Skuld and he continued to walk, her face covered in a look of awe.

"Sousuke. You are pretty cool." Skuld spoke approvingly before scowling slightly. "But don't forget, you're still a pervert."

Sousuke laughed.

A short while later the pair arrived at the grocery store. Skuld grabbed several boxes of ice-cream of varying flavors. Sousuke found an interesting bottle of sake that he decided to purchase for Urd and he, and he also picked up a few candies he wanted to share with Belldandy and Keiichi.

"Are there any other supplies we need to acquisition?" Sousuke questioned as he and Skuld waited patiently in line.

"I don't think so." Skuld spoke as she concentrated hard.

"Heads up. Incoming air drop." Sousuke spoke as he grabbed two caramel apples off of a display near the checkout line and gently chucked them to Skuld.

Skuld held the apples and looked at them suspiciously. "Are these good?"

"Affirmative. We can enjoy them as spoils of war on the way back to base."

Skuld giggled before plopping them down on the conveyor with the rest of their acquisitions. "You talk kind of funny." She smiled.

"My apologies." Sousuke spoke before removing a single large denomination bill from his pocket and passing it to the clerk. He received his change and the pair split the bags with Sousuke carrying the heavier ones.

"It's kind of cool. Really high tech." Skuld replied as they walked towards the grocery store exit.

Something in the pit of his stomach churned and Sousuke halted. "Wait." Sousuke commanded before gazing out into the parking lot of the grocery store from the door way. He had an odd feeling and something didn't seem right.

"Something wrong?" Skuld spoke before trying to bite into the caramel apple in her hand, her teeth and lips sticking to the sweet delight uncomfortably. "Mmmm mmm Mm!" She protested.

Sousuke dropped his caramel apple into one of the bags hanging on his arm and immediately lifted the bags to obscure his waist line. He then reached up under his shirt and downwards to grip the pistol he had concealed between his belt line. Using his pointer finger he indexed the weapon and created space between his pants and the weapon to allow for a smooth draw.

Sousuke had spotted two men speaking in the parking lot and one of them was wearing a photographer style vest. It was very odd in the kind of weather they were experiencing and Sousuke immediately suspected the individual may be using it to hide a weapon. The pair were trying too hard to look nonchalant.

"A little young for you isn't she?" Came a feminine voice from just outside the doorway, nestled to the right hand side.

"Mao." Sousuke breathed as he began to relax the grip on the weapon.

"Who?" Skuld asked as she finally got her teeth free.

"Melissa Mao." The beautiful military leader spoke as she moved into view. "A friend of Sousuke."

"Friend huh?" Skuld growled protectively. "My sister is Sousuke's only friend. Well... me too... and my other sister... and Keiichi... but he's an idiot." Skuld began to rant.

"Cute kid." Mao chuckled before looking at Sousuke. "You look better than expected."

"I can confirm I am doing better than I would expect as well." Sousuke "nodded. Why all the men?"

"I thought you might notice. Orders from the commander." Mao spoke. "Weber is doing over watch from an AS."

"An AS? Where?" Skuld began to look about excitedly as she bounced on her tip toes.

"It's cloaked." Sousuke spoke.

Melissa Mao lifted one hand up to her ear and began to speak softly. "Yea. Of course I got him. What? Shes like... 10." Mao spat disgustedly. "I don't care what she looks like through your scope AND DON'T POINT THAT DAMN THING AT US THEN!"

"Kurtz." Sousuke spoke as he shook his head disapprovingly.

Skuld could only scowl as she fought to keep her temper in check.

"What is this all about?" Sousuke questioned.

"The commander wants you on the boat. She is worried sick. We found your apartment. Then you hit the dead drop." Mao continued.

"I was attacked." Sousuke spoke nonchalantly.

"We know. Tessa dropped a couple one ton pounders on a training camp in Afghanistan after we found out who did it."

"It's only been a week since." Sousuke replied.

"She put all of us on red alert. When we couldn't find you she freaked." Mao laughed. "I'd never seen her... Yes, I'll tell him. Sheesh! Any ways, she freaked and put everyone on the job."

"Who is she?" Skuld questioned dangerously.

"Where is Tessa?" Sousuke wondered aloud as he looked out in the parking lot. He assumed she may be in the area if his disappearance was so important.

"Where ever you left the brief case I suppose. She and a team were going to hit the house you were staying in. Just in case. Should be a 6 man tac-team plus her. I think she took like two or three AS also. I dunno, she went kind of nuts on all of this." Mao spoke as she rubbed the back of her head with one hand. "I thought you were that Keiichi guy at first until we got into position. We are supposed to round every one up."

"OH NO!" Sousuke yelled before dropping the groceries and rushing past Mao. He immediately raised his hands over his head and then dropped them horizontally, signaling that he needed immediate AS-Pick up. Within moments the loud clank of the AS landing only feet from Sousuke resounded throughout the parking lot causing a few car alarms to go off.

"Kurtz! Quick! I need immediate transport to the area of operation!" Sousuke screamed as he leaped up the invisible leg of the Arm Slave and slipped his hand into a grip area. His heart was blasting in his chest as he tried to imagine what two Goddesses could do to a tac-team; or what could happen to Keiichi in a cross fire. "GO!"

"On the way Sousuke!" Kurz laughed excitedly over a loud speaker. "Let's do this! Yahooo!" He yelled as the AS took off with a blasting noise, the jump system propelling the AS over the entire grocery store in a single bound.

Mao and Skuld shielded their eyes as the blast of wind caused their clothes to flap, both of them forced to brace against the energy.

"C'mon kid." Melissa spoke as she ushered Skuld towards a black van. "I guess we need to head out there too then."

"I'm not a kid." Skuld pouted before taking another bite of caramel apple. She felt a little bit better when she watched the other people on Mao's team police up her groceries and the ones Sousuke had left.

The ride on the Arm Slave was punishing as the giant machine leaped from street to street, window shattering bursts of energy rocked Sousuke each time the contraption rocketed forward.

"Almost there!" Came the voice of Kurtz over the loudspeaker but for naught as Sousuke had been driven deaf by the roar and crash of every painful jump.

Sousuke could see the temple growing large with every leap and he prepared himself. He could see in his mind's eyes as Keiichi lay bleeding beside Belldandy, their bodies riddled with bullets. He imagined Urd and Tessa covered in knife wounds as they engaged each other in furious hand to hand combat. He could only believe the worst.

Within moments he would be in the front lawn of the building and he would have seconds to act. He had to protect those he cared for, even if it meant jumping into a hail of gun fire. He didn't care anymore about himself. All he could think about was Urd and his new family, and the horrible event he no doubt brought upon them.

With another thud the Arm Slave indented itself several inches into the grass. Sousuke propelled himself from the machine using his momentum to curl himself into a front roll. Landing unevenly on his shoulder and back he felt the wind knocked out of him as he immediately kicked himself onto his feet and took off running towards the temple.

He could see the three arm slaves hunched over with their cockpits open and he wondered if the pilots weren't all ready dead. He had no time to look as he continued to push forward, his breath hitched in his chest as icy pain radiated throughout his shoulder and back.

Sousuke clambered up the three steps leading to the door without touching ground. He couldn't even stop to open the door as he dove through the paper and thin wood, once more rolling as he struck the hardwood floor. Bits of wood dug themselves into his shoulder as he crouched and gazed at the scene before him.

"Oh my!" Belldandy yelped as she tried to quiet the vibrations of the tea kettle in her hand.

The scene froze for a moment as Sousuke stared in disbelief. Tessa Testarossa was wearing a full body tactical armor suit, her P$90$ laid gently at her side next to her helmet. She was kneeling at the table he had been eating at only a short while before. Belldandy was pouring Keiichi a small cup of tea. Urd was holding another bottle of sake in her hands with a look of utter disbelief on her face. To his left, Sousuke realized the entire tac-team was sitting around and sharing tea, their weapons lay in a neat but easily accessible pile in the corner.

"Sousuke!" Tessa and Urd yelped before sharing an evil look between each other.

"Are you OK?" Urd cooed as she moved towards him with Tessa close behind her.

"You're hurt! Let me take care of that!" Tessa spoke quickly as she reached with her hand to crack open the first aid kit attached to her battle vest.

Sousuke watched the two women approaching him, but couldn't understand a word they were saying. He was completely deaf and the adrenaline in his system could only let him think about Urd. Sousuke immediately rushed forward and snatched Urd into a hug so powerful they both toppled to the floor. Sousuke cradled Urd carefully as they crashed, using his arms to cushion her fall.

Tessa held an Israeli bandage in her hands as she looked down at the couple.

"Sousuke!" yelled Kurtz as he threw what was left of the door open and made a swift tactical entry into the roof with his P$90$ up. He took a moment to assess the situation before returning his weapon to low ready.

"Let's go." Tessa spoke quietly as she returned the bandage to her pouch, turned and picked up her helmet and weapon, and calmly walked past the two lovers. Tears slowly slipped from her eyes as she marched her way through the thoroughly crushed door.

Kurtz looked down appraisingly at the Goddess before turning on his heels to follow the commander with the rest of the tactical team.

"Good bye!" Belldandy waved. "Come by any time!" She continued with her normal cheery attitude.

"Sousuke." Urd whispered as she looked up into his eyes. Blood that had splattered from his shoulder wound onto his face dropped onto her cheek. "What did you do?"

Sousuke could see his name on Urd's lips as he read them as best he could. He was shaking with relief as he realized his only true love was safe. He was so oblivious in the moment that he didn't notice Tessa and the tactical-team exit with Kurtz.

Urd's cheeks slowly filled with pink as Sousuke's warm breath caressed her nose, eye lids, and lips.


	11. Chapter 11

Urd's cheeks slowly filled with pink as Sousuke's warm breath caressed her nose, eye lids, and lips.

Sousuke allowed his face to dip slowly towards Urds. His eyes locked with hers for a moment before his eye lids slid closed.

Urd's eye lids snapped shut as anticipation racked her body. She could feel the excitement welling up as she could feel the strength and rhythm of Sousuke's breath growing ever more powerful against her skin. She quickly licked her lips, hoping everything would be perfect as she fought back a smile.

Then the touch happened. Something wasn't exactly right. She could feel Sousuke's hair on her nose and she ventured to take a peek between her delicate eye lashes.

Sousuke had laid his fore head against her mouth and promptly fallen asleep. His exhausted body could no longer withstand the punishment he had heaped upon himself. His gentle breathing sent chills down Urd's spine as soft gusts of warm breath slid up and down her throat.

"Oh my." Belldandy giggled from her spot next to Keiichi as she gazed serenely at Sousuke and Urd. "I believe he has fallen asleep."

Urd sighed in frustration before waving a finger and levitating Sousuke upwards into the air. "I told him it was too early to be going out." She whispered.

"He can't hear you." Skuld exclaimed as she entered the temple, stomping upon the tattered and ruined door, behind her stood Mao who had an exasperated look upon her face.

"He almost killed himself getting here." Mao growled as she stepped into the room behind Skuld. "Mao." She introduced herself quickly as Keiichi and Belldandy both turned to look at her.

"He's probably completely deaf right now." Skuld spoke as she carried several bags past every one, stopping for a moment to look at Urd on her back below Sousuke as he floated above. "Ew." She voiced quickly before continuing onwards to the kitchen.

Mao blinked several times before pointing at Sousuke. "How?" She asked before shaking her head. "I don't want to know."

Belldandy could only giggle as Urd scooted out from under Sousuke and stood. She then placed her arms under him and cradled him up to her body to make it look like she was carrying him. "Sometimes ignorance is bliss." Urd smiled before making her way with Sousuke in the direction of her bedroom.

"Are they...?" Mao questioned as she looked at Keiichi and Belldandy.

"Have a seat." Keiichi smiled as he gestured to an empty spot around the "table. I take it your another one of Sousuke's friends?"

"Affirmative." Mao spoke before shaking her head. "I mean yes."

"Well... Where do we begin?" Keiichi questioned before turning his head to look at Belldandy. "You want to explain?"

"May I see your hand?" Belldandy questioned as she extended her hand outwards palm up. "I would like to take a small look into your soul."

"Uhhh." Mao replied as she gazed down at Belldandy's hand. "I don't know if I believe in that stuff."

"You don't have to believe in magic for it to work." Belldandy giggled softly. "It will help me decide how much to tell you."

"Well... I guess it couldn't hurt." Mao replied as she extended her hand outwards and placed it in the soft grasp of Belldandy.

Belldandy hummed softly to herself as she began to trace the lines in Mao's palm with her other hands index finger. "I see..." She whispered.

Keiichi smile reassuringly when Mao took a moment to look him in the eyes. She didn't smile back.

"So, am I getting married any time soon?" Mao laughed exasperatedly as she wondered to herself why she was letting some girl pretend to read her palm.

"He still teases you about other girls just because he enjoys seeing you mad. He finds it cute." Belldandy spoke casually. "Give it a little time."

Mao was taken aback as she considered what Belldandy said, but she was displaced from her reverie when the young woman released her hand.

"Urd is." Belldandy began, but was interrupted as the cinnamon skinned Goddess reentered the room.

"A Goddess." Urd spoke as she ran her fingers through her hair. "And you are?"

"A little full of ourselves are we?" Mao laughed. "Melissa Mao. Sousuke's former enlisted superior and a good friend."

Urd froze in her tracks for a moment as she filed through Sousuke's memories that she held inside. "You just got promoted to Master Sergeant this year." Urd spoke before taking a few more steps and sitting down in front of her sake bottle on the table.

"Yea. So Sousuke told you about me?" She inquired.

"Something like that." Urd smiled devilishly.

"You have a good heart." Belldandy smiled brightly.

"So you and Sousuke?" Mao inquired as she took an appraising look at Urd, her eyes traveling up and down her body. "Nice kimono."

"Thanks." Urd smirked before reaching out and lifting her bottle of sake to her lips.

"Drink much?" Mao voiced as she lifted an eye brow in disbelief.

"Just in the evenings." Urd coolly replied before returning the bottle to the table. "And to answer your question, yes... Me and Sousuke."

"I'm a little surprised." Mao replied. "You don't look his type."

"What exactly is Sousuke's type?" Urd growled as she extended one leg outwards and pulled the other one up close to her body. She then daintily laid her fingertips down on the extended leg with one hand while the other one held her up; causing her chest to extend out. "Gorgeous isn't his type?"

Keiichi fiddled with the hem of his pants leg nervously as he could feel the heat emitting from the two women before him. Urd had never shown herself to be dangerously jealous, but it seemed that she took any woman's interest in Sousuke as a personal challenge. He wondered if Urd and Mao weren't going to glare holes in each other.

"You do know that Sousuke is very dear to me." Mao began to speak as she picked up on the defensive behavior Urd was displaying. "I think I would be adverse to the idea of someone playing him. He can be very vulnerable to a beautiful face and a few kind words. He has already had his heart broken once."

"I am aware of Kaname." Urd spoke through gritted teeth as she fought to control the tumultuous wave of emotions rolling through her body. "I can assure you that Sousuke and I have something permanent."

"Are you pregnant?" Mao questioned bluntly.

Keiichi spluttered as tea shot out of his nose. The liquid burned his sinuses as he coughed and hacked. He rested both hands on his knees as he gagged and choked.

"Mr. Keiichi!" Belldandy yelped before turning and furiously patting him on his back. "Are you all right?"

"Yea." Sousuke choked. "Just caught me off guard."

Urd and Mao returned their attention to each other after Keiichi had interrupted them. "Well?" Mao queried again.

"No." Urd growled before continuing wistfully. "We haven't even kissed yet."

"You don't look like a slow mover." Mao replied cattily as she grinned.

"Not for lack of trying. I assure you." Urd smirked.

"Ew." Skuld spat as she entered the room with a large ice cream container in one hand and a spoon filled with the delicious substance in the other. "Urd is a pervert."

Keiichi snickered before straightening up as Urd cast a single cool glare at him.

"Shut up Skuld." Urd spat as she allowed her gaze to glide to Skuld.

"Whatever." Skuld replied flippantly before finding her a spot to sit at the free end of the table. "So what are we talking about?"

The table remained tensely silent before Belldandy decided to end the petty squabble developing between the beautiful Goddess and the stoic military leader. "Ms. Mao, I can assure you that Urd cares deeply for Sousuke. She couldn't live without him. The contract they have is very powerful."

"Contract?" Mao questioned.

"Bell!" Urd exclaimed as she gave a glare to Belldandy.

"Urd, she can be trusted, and I think she has a right to know. She cares for Sousuke too." Belldandy replied serenely, pointedly ignoring Urds outburst.

Urd could only reply with a guttural sound as she folded her arms and allowed Belldandy to explain everything.

After approximately 30 minutes, Belldandy had explained almost everything to a shocked looking Mao. "So you're telling me... You are Goddesses?"

"Duh." Urd replied before snapping her fingers and allowing her sake bottle to float upwards, flip and spin several times, and then float to her lips and tip so she could drink from it. She then snapped her fingers again and the bottle returned to the table.

"Ok." Mao shrugged. "Leave it to Sousuke to get himself into something like that."

"You aren't surprised?" Skuld questioned through a mouthful of ice cream.

"It is what it is." The woman replied before turning to Urd. "I'm sorry." She spoke calmly.

"Me too." Urd replied before extending her hand to Mao. "I think we can be friends."

"So do I call you 'your majesty' or 'princess' or something?" Mao questioned as she shook Urds outstretched hand.

Urd laughed before replying simply. "Just Urd or you could call me friend."

Sousuke awoke the next morning with light tinnitus in his ears. He could hear bustling going on as Keiichi and Belldandy prepared for school. He lay with his eyes shut, snuggled into the futon where he could feel something warm pressed against him.

Slowly he opened his eyes and rolled over to come face to face with Urd. "Good morning." She cooed before leaning forward and placing a butterfly kiss on his nose.

"Good morning." Sousuke replied before involuntarily allowing his gaze to wander downwards. He quickly realized that Urd wasn't wearing much of anything and his eye lids snapped shut under much protest.

"Are you OK?" Urd questioned as she tried to hide her smirk. "You aren't ashamed of how I look are you?" She mocked sadness.

"Negative. In fact, I feel quite the opposite." Sousuke blurted as his full mental faculties began to come back to him after having been asleep. "Where are my clothes?" He questioned as calmly as he could.

"I helped you out of those." Urd whispered. "You don't mind do you?"

"Negative. I mean... I do... not mind." Sousuke stuttered and choked on his words as he struggled to come up with an answer. "I need to get ready for school." He blurted out.

Urd could only smile as she placed one hand on his cheek and pressed upwards lightly with her finger tips against his temple close to his eye. "Open up." She giggled softly.

Sousuke slowly opened his eyes and locked them on Urds.

"Sousuke." Urd breathed heavily. "This is yours. You can look any time you want. But then again... I'd rather you touched."

Sousuke nodded and then removed himself from the futon quickly. He began to dress hurriedly as he tried to comprehend what Urd had told him. He could feel his hands shaking as he tried to button up his pants.

Urd laughed as she stood and wrapped herself lightly in the blanket they had been under. "I guess I'll get ready too." She then drew the blanket up to hide herself and then allowed it to fall to the ground. She stood perfectly clothed and prepared for the day. "I'll go make breakfast." She spoke as she exited the room.

Sousuke quickly finished dressing and then exited to the front room. He was surprised to find the room perfectly spotless and as though the night before could have just been a dream.

"Belldandy fixed it." Keiichi spoke as he pointed at the door. He was sitting at the wooden table with a plate full of eggs and bacon. He then scooped up another mouthful of eggs and began to chew.

"I see." Sousuke replied as he sat down at the table. "I hate to impose, but may I have a ride to school today? I will obtain a POV after school today I assure you."

"POV?" Keiichi questioned through a mouth full of bacon.

"Personally owned vehicle." Sousuke replied.

"Uhh. Yea. Ok." Keiichi laughed.

Urd entered the room from the kitchen carrying a small tray of food. She had prepared eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and pancakes. A small bottle of syrup and milk and orange juice wiggled precariously as she set the tray down in front of Sousuke.

"Breakfast is served." She grinned as she took pleasure in the lustful look that Sousuke bestowed upon her prepared meal.

"Thank you!" Sousuke grinned before digging into the plate, a soft groan of pleasure escaped his lips as he stuffed it full of food.

"You act like you've never ate breakfast before." Keiichi teased.

"I have never experienced an ecstasy like Urd's cooking before." Sousuke replied between mouthfuls. His well honed military eating habits served him well as he finished his entire meal just as Keiichi was finishing his.

"Wow." Urd breathed as she gazed down at the plate. "Did you taste it?" She laughed.

"Of course. It was divine." Sousuke laughed. "Urd, I need your opinion. What personally owned vehicle should I procure for our use?"

"I don't know. What do you want?" Urd spoke aloud as she licked the tip of her thumb and then pressed it onto Sousuke's plate where some bacon crumbs were before returning it to her lips for another lick. "I need to make more bacon." She thought aloud.

"Do you like motorcycles?" Keiichi asked.

"Affirmative." Sousuke replied.

"Then maybe you should get a bike?" Keiichi pressed the train of thought forward.

"Would you be pleased?" Sousuke questioned Urd.

"If you would be happy, I would be happy." Urd confirmed before pointing at the clock. "Time for all you educational types to head to school. I want some bacon and then I am going back to bed." Urd laughed.

Sousuke smiled as he grabbed his backpack and joined Keiichi and Belldandy for the ride to school. He felt a building excitement as he waved in return at Urd as she stood in the entranceway of the temple.

Sousuke counted the seconds as he waited for his chance to get out of class. They were discussing something about fuel cells in the Gen 2 Arm Slaves, but he could barely pay attention. He was day dreaming about motorcycles and Urd in a one piece leather racing suit.

"Sousuke. Sousuke. SOUSUKE!" one of the students yelled. The student had black hair and a boyish face. He almost looked like a middle school student. "Don't you know what fuel the K-Class AS used?"

"It was a mixture of diesel and kerosene. The motors were known to begin smoking after approximately 80 to 100 hours of use. The K-Class was replaced quickly to say the least." Sousuke replied as all the students gazed upon him in awe.

"Sousuke is an AS genius." The student whispered.

Sousuke didn't know what to say and he felt relief when the bell rang. He immediately stood and rushed to the front of the school where a cab awaited. He had called for it earlier during the day and he had chosen to take a cab then to impose on Keiichi any more then he already did.

"Where we headed?" The Hindustani cab driver inquired as Sousuke entered the vehicle.

"To the Honda motorcycle dealership down town please." Sousuke replied. "Thank you."

Sousuke arrived at a beautiful glass walled building with a simple white washed roof. The words 'Honda Motorcycles and Spot Vehicles" was emblazoned in Japanese and English above the front entrance. Five different motorcycles were parked in a row on one side of the door and 5 more on the other.

"O hai' o!" A pretty young girl spoke from behind the front desk in "greeting. Are you here to see someone in particular?"

"Affirmative." Sousuke replied as he stepped up to the counter. "I called earlier today in order to reserve a Black and Silver 1000 RR."

"Ah!" The lady exclaimed as she picked up the phone and dialed 2 numbers. "Kanto to the front desk. Kanto to the front desk." She spoke over the intercom system. "One moment Sir. Kanto will be your salesman today."

"Thank you." Sousuke replied as he made a 45 degree step and began to wander towards a display of ATV vehicles. Within moments Sousuke was approached by a tall and lanky gentleman with a mustache.

"Sousuke?" The man spoke. "My name is Kanto. So you are interested in purchasing the 1000RR?"

"Affirmative. I brought a list." Sousuke replied as he reached in his pocket and unfolded a sheet of paper. The auto club had assisted him in creating a list of every item he could need with his new bike. Though they weren't aware of what bike he had picked yet.

Kanto took the list and looked it over before smiling. He was obviously excited about his commission as he read over the detailed and specific list. "I see you have a need for two sets do you have measurements for both outfits?"

"One is for myself and the other will be for my girlfriend." Sousuke spoke. "I can call for the necessary measurements for the female set."

"Excellent." Kanto replied. "Well, let's take a look at the bike first. See if you like it."

"Affirmative." Sousuke replied as they walked through the building and towards the back lot. Amongst hundreds of bikes and crates Sousuke could spot the black and silver Honda 1000RR sitting next to some mechanics.

"Hey there." The head mechanic spoke as he raised his hand in greeting. "We have all the stuff you asked for. You sure you want this stuff? I mean, this is going to be a mean bike as it is..." He trailed off as he looked down at the motorcycle lovingly.

"I assure you that I am a competent rider." Sousuke replied.

Removing a pair of keys from his pocket the mechanic tossed them to Sousuke. "Prove it." He spoke as he pointed at a dirt bike-esque bike with street tires on it. Sousuke assumed it was a dual sport.

Sousuke immediately walked over to the bike, swung his leg over the saddle and placed the keys in the ignition. Drawing up the clutch he pressed the engine start button and the small bike sputtered to life. After a few moments Sousuke noticed the cones set out a bit further in the yard and realized they had a bike testing course much like the ones used in the military to test motorcycle proficiency.

"Excuse me for a moment." Sousuke spoke before easing out on the clutch and juicing the throttle. The bike rocketed forward and Sousuke counter steered powerfully allowing the rear wheel to crack loose on the pavement. The bike slid and he knew that the spectators probably lost their breath as he allowed the peg feeler to scrape against the ground.

He immediately straightened up the bike and entered the cone maze, perfectly juggling clutch, throttle, and brake as he maneuvered through the track. He allowed the bike to scrape the pegs several time and at one point even juiced the throttle sharply through a turn to kick up smoke as he burnt the rear tire.

Eventually he finished the maze and returned the bike to where he had began with a small smirk on his face. The mechanics and other spectators all began to clap as he placed the kick stand down and unsaddled the bike. "Satisfactory?" Sousuke questioned as he tossed the keys back to the mechanic.

"Exceeds expectations." He replied with a hint of awe in his voice.

Sousuke laughed for a moment. "You can install all of the upgrades?" He questioned.

"Power commander, Yoshimura exhaust, and a jet kit?" The mechanic confirmed.

"And frame sliders. Carbon fibre." Sousuke spoke.

"Yep. We can have it all done in a few hours." The mechanic replied. "You should be able to take her home tonight."

"Excellent." Sousuke replied before turning to Kanto. "Shall we collect my equipment then?" Sousuke asked.

"Let's do it." Kanto grinned as they began to make their way towards the main store. "Do you know what color you want?"


	12. Chapter 12

Sousuke and Kanto reentered the dealership. The warm smell of gasoline, oil, and leather filled the air as Sousuke took a moment to look around. He could see lines and lines of motorcycles and other vehicles all about. Several signs warning parents to watch their children adorned the walls.

"Shall we?" Kanto spoke as he pointed toward some stairs. "Our accessories department is fully stocked with everything you may need." He proudly spoke.

"Excellent." Sousuke replied as they walked in relative silence up the stairs. The room he entered had shelves to the ceiling filled with colorful motorcycle related paraphernalia. Extracting the piece of notebook paper from his pocket he began to check off the items he needed.

Helmet, gloves, jacket, pants, and sun glasses were each placed on the counter as Sousuke wandered about collecting what he wanted. The jacket was white and red with the word "Honda" emblazoned on the back in bright black letters. The gloves were also adorned with the Honda flying wing emblem and the word Honda was found on them as well.

"Going for a matching motif?" Kanto questioned.

"Affirmative." Sousuke replied before stopping near the Sidi product line and grabbing a set of boots. He was pleased with the product selection and was able to find every item he had placed on his wish list.

"Excuse me for a moment." Sousuke spoke to Kanto before reaching into his pocket, extracting his cell phone, and dialing the phone number for the temple. After several rings the phone was finally answered.

"Skuld residence... and sort of Morisato... but I only let him live here because I am nice." Skuld spoke quickly into the phone.

"Hello Skuld." Sousuke replied. "Would you be able to answer a question for me?"

"May be." Skuld replied.

"Do you know what size Urd wears?" Sousuke continued.

"In what?" Skuld spoke suspiciously.

"Every thing." Sousuke tried to explain himself better.

Skuld was silent for a moment before blurting out her patented "Ew." Then after a few more moments she began to rattle off numbers. "36,24,38. Size 6 shoe. She wears long pants." Skuld did her best to provide Sousuke every measurement she could think of before finally asking "Why?"

"I am buying her some gifts. In particular I am requisitioning several pieces of equipment she may need." Sousuke replied before handing the note he had scribbled Urd's sizes on to Kanto. Sousuke mouthed the words "In pink" as he pointed at his own gear.

Kanto wordlessly nodded his head before taking the note and heading back into the forest of equipment and accessories.

"What are you getting?" Skuld questioned. "Is it cute? Is it a robot? Is it a cute robot?"

"If I tell you, can you keep it a secret?" Sousuke calmly replied.

"Probably not." Skuld laughed maniacally. "Id probably lord it over Urd until she snapped and drug it out of me."

"Well, it's clothes." Sousuke replied evasively as he fought back a chuckle at Skulds behavior.

"Well... Have fun. Oh and you're a pervert."

"Good bye Skuld."

"Bye!"

Sousuke assured himself that the phone call had disconnected before turning around and entering the accessories section in order to assist Kanto in policing up a matching outfit for Urd.

"I believe we have accomplished our mission." Sousuke spoke as he and Kanto stood before the cash register. Stacks of leather and plastic lay about before Sousuke turned his attention to the helmets held on stacks of shelves behind the counter.

Within moments he knew exactly which ones he wanted... He spotted two HJC airbrush helmets with an Angelic being carrying a flaming sword on either side. He noticed the angel had one black and one white wing and he immediately thought of Ele, even if the Angel on the helmet was male.

"One in medium and one in large." Sousuke spoke as he pointed at the "helmets. The obvious choice for my needs will be those helmets."

"Good choice. It looks like you know your stuff." Kanto laughed as he looked down at the impressive stack of merchandise. "It's not often someone comes in here and shops like this. So you a fan of Joe Rocket?"

"Of course." Sousuke continued. "Joe Rocket, HJC, Sidi, and Oakley are the only companies I would trust to provide me with the equipment I need for my civilian pursuits."

"Ok." Kanto replied with a slightly confused look on his face. "Cool man. So let's ring this stuff up?"

"Affirmative." Sousuke smiled.

"I know something you don't know." Skuld sing songed as she pranced into the room where Urd was currently trying to watch a television show featuring some guy in a purple dinosaur suit dancing with children and singing songs.

"What are you watching?" Skuld stopped as she looked at the television screen, one leg in the air bent lightly in a dancing pose.

"I think it's Godzilla... But... It's just some guy singing and telling kids how much he loves them." Urd replied with a frustrated look on her face. "I've been waiting for the past 11 minutes for this show to get down to some fire breathing and building smashing."

"I don't think that is Godzilla." Skuld continued before remembering exactly why she had come to bother Urd. "By the way... I KNOW SOMETHING YOU DON'T KNOW!" She began to sing once more at a much louder and faster pace.

"Like what?" Urd finally snapped as she allowed Skuld to goad her into curiosity.

"Like what Sousuke is doing..." Skuld whispered dangerously. "He might have just called and when you told me to answer the phone, because you were too lazy to, I might have talked to him." Skuld continued.

"Skuld! I told you to tell me if it was Sousuke!" Urd growled as she "stood up. What is he doing? Buying a bike?"

"I think he was buying you a paper bag to put over your face." Skuld cackled before turning and running from the room. "NEEEE-SAN!" She screeched as she worked hard to escape an enraged Urd.

Sousuke and Kanto lounged around near the Super Sport bike section of the dealership as they awaited the completion of Sousuke's work order. They discussed different motorcycle related topics and occasionally munched on complementary popcorn provided by a small machine in the corner of the dealership.

Nightfall began to arrive and Sousuke was growing concerned that Urd may be worried. He had hoped he would be able to show her his new toy in the light. Swiftly though the mechanic arrived to inform Sousuke that all of the requested upgrades had been performed and they would like him to come inspect the vehicle.

Sousuke was overjoyed as he, Kanto, and the mechanic made their way into the repair pit where bikes and parts were being operated on like some sort of mechanical hospital.

"Here she is." The mechanic spoke proudly as he extended his hands to behold the motorcycle Sousuke had purchased.

"It's perfect." Sousuke breathed as he walked around the bike clockwise. "Do you think the yoshimura exhaust was an optimal choice of pipe?" He questioned.

"A little late for second thoughts now isn't it?" The mechanic laughed. "Buddy, this thing is going to be a screamer. $1000$cc of pure evil." He grinned toothily.

"Can we start it?" Sousuke inquired before snatching the keys out of the air the mechanic had thrown at him.

"Go for it." He spoke.

Sousuke gripped the left handle bar before swinging his right leg over the saddle. He immediately slipped the key into the ignition and then snatched a handful of brake. Reaching to the key with his left hand he turned it gently and watched as the cluster hummed to life with blinking lights and the tachometer buried itself into the red line before dropping back to 0.

"Beautiful." Sousuke whispered softly before using his left hand to grab up the clutch. He then pressed the engine start button with his right thumb listening as the motor hummed to life. It sounded much like what a mechanical panther might sound like. Sleek, deadly, and untamed.

"Happy with that Yoshi-pipe?" The mechanic laughed.

"Affirmative." Sousuke replied as he made eye contact with Kanto. "Thank you."

Keiichi and Belldandy relaxed in the grass in the courtyard of the temple. They could hear the crashes and bangs of Urd and Skuld battling it out over some flippant remark or random comment.

"Those two are always like that." Keiichi chuckled as he lay on his back, supporting his head with his hands. He was counting the stars one by one.

"Skuld is trying to keep Urd occupied while we await the return of Mr. Sousuke." Belldandy spoke calmly, her voice pure and loving.

"I see." Keiichi grinned. "I guess they do get along in their own special way, always trying to help each other, even if it means blowing up half the house."

As if on cue a loud explosion rocked the air and Urd shrieked "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE THROWING THOSE THINGS!" from somewhere in the temple.

Keiichi sighed and smiled as Belldandy scooted closer to him and laid back to look at the stars as well. "I'm glad we are here." She cooed.

"Me too." Keiichi smiled before mustering his courage and placing his arm out to draw Belldandy to him. "Me too."

After several more minutes of sitting in silence, Keiichi noticed an odd sound. There was some sort of large displacement super bike making its way in the direction of the temple. He had an odd feeling that Sousuke had disregarded his advice to buy a 250 or similar sized small bike, but he shrugged it off as paranoia.

A few more seconds of listening to the engine growing steadily louder as the bike cruised at a screaming 12 thousand RPMS gave Keiichi more reason to pause. The bike had to have been modified with several upgrades including a pipe, which would lead to a power commander, which then would lead to a jet kit. The list in Keiichi's mind began to build as he wondered if the bike coming ever closer wasn't Sousukes.

"Do you hear that Belldandy?" Keiichi questioned.

"Hear what?" Belldandy piped up quickly, it seemed she had been dozing off.

"That." Keiichi pointed at the bright single headlight of a motorcycle that had just turned into the yard.

Belldandy shielded her eyes as the vehicle crept through the darkness. A low growl emanated from the bike as a single brake lamp illuminated the ground behind it like a great red tail. The vehicle looked almost menacing as it slid to a stop next to Keiichi's bike.

The moment Keiichi got a profile view of the bike he knew exactly what it was. He could tell by the throaty exhaust and the rake of the rider that Sousuke had just invested in a very mean motorcycle. "That's a $1000$RR." Keiichi sighed as he dreamed of what it must like to own a vehicle such as the legendary RR designated Honda motorcycle.

Urd and Skuld put aside their differences as they both shoved at each other coming through the door way. The loud motorbike had even caught their attention as they argued and fussed. In the darkness Sousuke looked much like some primordial hunter dismounting his slinking steed. Urd's blood boiled as she gazed upon him.

"Greetings." Sousuke spoke as he unhitched the textile harness that held his helmet in place. He quickly pulled the plastic off of his head and tucked it under his arm. "I bought a new vehicle."

"Sousuke... This is... I can't... Who?... What?" Keiichi muttered as he made his way through the darkness to stand next to the bike. He swiveled and bent down to pick up a hang light that he ignited and used to illuminate the motorcycle. "It is a $1000$." He breathed huskily.

Keiichi's odd behavior immediately attracted the curiosity of Urd, Skuld, and Belldandy and the three young Goddesses glided over to gaze upon the glory that was Japanese ingenuity.

"Is it nice?" Belldandy questioned serenely as she leaned down to look at the flower petal like brake rotors that nestled next to the rear tire. She could feel the heat of the exhaust buffeting her face and she backed up ever so slightly.

"Nice?" Keiichi asked aloud. "Belldandy. This is the Honda CBR$1000$RR. It's probably the best Super Bike money can buy." He continued as he dropped to both knees and tried to peer between the fairing for a closer look at the motor.

"Heh." Urd puffed up slightly with pride as Keiichi continued to whisper exclamations and praises.

"It needs more rockets and an autopilot." Skuld spoke as she too joined Keiichi in eye balling Sousuke's purchase.

Sousuke wasn't sure what to say as he watched his friends admire his motorcycle so he busied himself by removing the tie downs that held several boxes on the rear seat. "I have a small gift for you." He spoke in the direction of Urd.

"Really?" Urd questioned as she floated upwards into the air and towards Sousuke. She immediately rolled over in the air so that she was looking up at him and began to blink her eyes in a rapid but alluring motion. "Anything I want?"

"I hope so." Sousuke replied as he wondered if his cheeks were not becoming like warning lights in the darkness.

"Good." Urd replied forcefully before rotating around and returning to her feet. She then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Sousuke preventing him from continuing his work on freeing the numerous packages.

"Don't you want to see what I got you?" Sousuke questioned softly.

"I see what I wanted." She replied with a seductive tone.

Skuld took a moment to look up from the bike to observe the exchange, but something inside of her stirred and she refrained from commenting. She turned her attention to the dash panel of the bike and the numerous push buttons on it. "What do these do?" She questioned Keiichi and watched as her desired effect occurred. He immediately gushed into a lengthy explanation that she could use to drown out Urd and Sousuke.

Sousuke cast a side long glance at the three very busy looking gawkers before returning his attention to Urd. "I also bought you a few things." He continued nervously.

"The best things in life are free." Urd replied quietly as she tipped her jaw upwards and grinned mischievously.

In a split second, courage and desire met in the pit of Sousuke's stomach. He pulled Urd in towards himself with a powerful but subtle jerk. He decided the best form of action was an ambush, and he felt compelled to attack at this very moment. He tilted his head to the side and leaned down quickly; placing his lips against Urds and as her mouth opened hungrily he pulled away and smiled.

Urd looked shocked as Sousuke slowly released his grip on her. A dreamy smile crept onto her lips as she reached out to grab his odd leather riding outfit with both hands but released her grip as Sousuke gave her one pleading look and rested his hands on top of hers.

"Later." He mouthed silently.

Urd could only glower as she let her hands drop to her sides.

Skuld bit her lip as she growled an impressively subdued "Soooo ewwww." Her pointed attempt to ignore the couple was noticed by Belldandy who could only smile softly before reaching out and patting her shoulder encouragingly.

"Sousuke." Urd questioned as she lifted up a single finger and caused it to emit light. "What are you wearing?" Her eyes were drawn to his waist line as she finally noticed the interesting leather suit he was wearing.

The sudden question from Urd caused the other three participants to look at him as well. He had placed his helmet near his feet, but he currently wore the two piece leather riding outfit, sidi boots, and his wrist length gloves.

"Ew." Skuld finally muttered aloud as she looked down at Sousuke's waist area as well. "Why is it so tight?"

"That's mine." Urd growled as she snapped her fingers and pointed upwards while looking at Skuld.

Skuld feigned a gag.

"Awesome outfit." Keiichi laughed as he took a closer look.

"It looks very interesting Mr. Sousuke." Belldandy concurred.

"You do know I am going to have to set fire to every girl who tries to look at you. Right?" Urd spoke with a serious look on her face. Sousuke wondered if she was joking or not.

"So what is in the boxes?" Skuld questioned as she leaned in and began to try to pry open the edge on one box.

"All of this is Urd's." Sousuke spoke as he turned and finished removing the rope holding the boxes down. Keiichi and he then carried them into the temple. Every one gathered in the front room around the wooden table as Urd unwrapped each box.

Her eyes grew wide as Sousuke first handed her a fairly heavy box. She quickly dispatched the wrapping and lifted the pink full body leather suit upwards to gaze upon it. In bright white letters the words "Official Honda Hottie" were printed in raised letters underneath a stream of pink and white stars.

Sousuke looked slightly apprehensive as Urd considered the outfit but relaxed quickly when she laughed.

"I am going to look so good in this." She grinned.

Sousuke released the breath he was holding and continued to watch as Urd unwrapped the rest of the outfit. Finally she had laid out the entire outfit on the floor in a manner that resembled a person. The only thing missing was the helmet.

Urd watched carefully as Sousuke nervously reached behind him and pulled the last box up to his lap. His energy was swirling in a strange way and it made Urd uncomfortable. She didn't like to see Sousuke suffer from doubt or internal conflict.

Sousuke steeled himself once more before handing her the box and telling her, "I got you a matching helmet. It reminded me of Ele so I thought we could both wear it." He spoke low.

Urd opened the box and removed the helmet from within. She felt herself welling with joy as she contemplated how proud Sousuke was of her mixed heritage but it left her with questions as well. Any thought of asking those questions were quashed as she gazed at the detailed mural of an angelic being with half black and half white wings wielding a flaming sword airbrushed into the helmet.

"Do you approve?" Sousuke questioned tentatively.

"Sousuke." Urd whispered as she continued to stare at the helmet. She couldn't think of what else to say.

"I understand." Sousuke spoke as his shoulders slouched. "I appear to have made a tactical error."

"No!" Urd quickly replied. "It's wonderful... but... if you want... maybe we can make some improvements?"

Sousuke brightened considerably as he nodded his head strongly. "Affirmative." He reached behind himself for his helmet and placed it before Urd.

"Ele sweety." Urd spoke and World of Elegance burst into the material plane above her.

"Do you think you could improve the graphics here?" She smiled as she pointed at the two helmets.

Ele gazed at the art appraisingly before casting a loving look on Sousuke. Slowly the helmets began to glow brighter and brighter. After several seconds the helmets were radiating almost as brightly as the sun and then they snapped back to normal. The old artwork replaced with something entirely different and much more to Sousuke's liking.

"Beautiful." Sousuke breathlessly spoke as he looked down at the new art. In a religious mural like form of painting a perfect likeness of World of Elegance extending her wings outwards while praying adorned the helmets. The helmets seemed to sparkle in some spots and dark inky shadows danced around other parts, the obvious melding of raw and polar opposite energies.

"Full of our self I see." Urd teased as Ele crossed her arms and pouted. "Oh, you know I am just kidding. Thank you love!" Urd cooed as Ele waved and slowly faded from view.

"This is exactly what I wanted." Sousuke grinned excitedly. "Do you want to try it all on?" He continued.

"Sure." Urd grinned mischievously as she stood and extended her hand to "Sousuke. You can help me put it on."

Sousuke gulped as he wondered how to explain to Urd that you wear very little under the outfit .... Then he wondered if that was her entire point of requesting his help.

Keiichi looked at Urd and Sousuke as they disappeared together into her room. After a few moments of looking at the empty doorway he turned his gaze on Skuld who was sitting cross legged with a strange device in her lap, she was currently trying to unscrew some piece of it.

"You seem relaxed." Keiichi spoke nonchalantly in Skuld's direction causing her to look up at him.

"I guess." She replied suspiciously.

A loud thump like something falling echoed out of Urd's room and the high pitched chatter of Urd giggling could be faintly heard in the background for a moment before someone 'shhhed' her. He couldn't tell if the noise had come from Sousuke or from Urd herself.

"Soo..." Keiichi continued.

Skuld sighed exasperatedly before setting her device on the floor and giving her entire attention to Keiichi. "You are wondering why I haven't gone and blown them up. Right?"

"Sort of." Keiichi confirmed.

"I realized something today. Sometimes... Sometimes a little male pervert and a little female pervert can fall madly in love with each other. Sometimes those perverts are made for each other. Sometimes... Sometimes it isn't my duty to police them." Skuld spoke flatly as she leaned forward and stared at Keiichi.

Emboldened by her speech he slowly reached out to take Belldandy's hand in his. The swift crack of a piece of cord snapping against his hand caused Keiichi to yelp as Skuld continued to stare at him with an icily neutral face. "I said perverts. Not Belldandy."

"I see." Keiichi replied as he rubbed the top of his hand where Skuld had whipped him.

Belldandy giggled and smiled serenely before waving her hand and healing Keiichi's injury. "Mr. Keiichi, I think Skuld is growing up."


	13. Chapter 13

Sousuke followed Urd as he carried her new outfit in his arms. The smell of leather filled his nose and he struggled with keeping his eyes above her waist as she led him back to their room.

"Uhh... Urd." Sousuke spoke as their footsteps clacked on the hardwood floor ominously. "Are you aware of how how a suit like this is worn?"

"I think I have an idea." Urd replied as she continued to look pointedly ahead. She guided him forward with a slow and deliberate seductive shake of her hips. The fabric on her body appeared to be clutching desperately to her.

Sousuke could feel his hands beginning to sweat. He knew his heart rate was beginning to increase and he began to take deep and deliberate breaths. He would hold each breath for 3 seconds, release half, hold, and then release the rest before inhaling again.

"Planning on a little sniper practice?" Urd chuckled as she stepped into the room and turned around to face him. "Why are you breathing like that?" She questioned with a seductive edge to her voice.

"I... uhhh." Sousuke could only reply as Urd reached out and removed the leather suit from his arms.

"Will you help me with this?" She smiled as she turned and faced the back of her kimono to Sousuke. "Just tug on the bow."

Sousuke took several shuffling steps forward as his mouth began to dry. "All right." He spoke as he reached out and placed his index and thumb together around one edge of the offending ribbon.

As soon as he gripped the bow, he could hear the door to the room slide shut. He assumed Urd had worked her magic and so ignored the surprising noise. He took a moment to breath one more time and then tugged on the bow.

He could see the fabric slacken across her back as the belt dropped to the floor. The front of Urd's kimono parted and Sousuke ached to peer behind it.

Urd smirked as she could feel the burning gaze of Sousuke on her back. She allowed her energy to flow into the fabric and shrugged out of it as it floated. The inches of atmosphere that caressed her now exposed skin caused tiny goosebumps to form up and down her back.

Sousuke bit his lip as he watched Urd step forward. He had anticipated the fabric dropping to the floor and a strange flip flop occurred in his guts as he continued to be blocked from his Goddess by only a few inches of flimsy fabric. He contemplated reaching out and stripping the offending material from the air but held his position.

Urd could feel the frustration radiating from Sousuke. She enjoyed teasing him as much as she liked to please him. It was a fine line to walk, but Urd felt confident in her Goddess abilities to allow her to do more than tip toe that line. She would simply float over it.

"Let's see here." Urd spoke nonchalantly as she began to unzip the pink leather suit. Looking at it at arms length, her bronze skin peeked out at different angles from behind the floating screen.

Sousuke's mouth reversed polarity. It was no longer a desert but more a rain forest as he fought back the desire to drool.

"Ah! I get it!" Urd exclaimed softly before stepping one leg and then the other into the suit. She began wiggling and hopping as she tugged the suit upwards. She bent at the waist and placed her left arm in and stood strongly, causing the leather to stretch to her skin before shrugging her other arm into the suit. She then zipped the outfit and allowed the barrier to drop as she turned to grin at Sousuke.

Sousuke was floored. He was torn between his desire to see her in the outfit and to see the outfit crumpled on the floor at the foot of the futon. He simply gazed at her with a hard look on his face.

"Bad?" Urd questioned as her confidence began to teeter. The harsh look on Sousuke's face in combination with the battle scars he had made him look as though he were perpetually angry or sad. She struggled to read him sometimes.

"What is a word for amazing?" Sousuke breathed as he absentmindedly began to wring his hands. "I just... I can't... It's beyond comprehension."

"That good huh? I am concerned you might be exaggerating." Urd replied with a mischievous grin plastered on her face. "So how does one RIDE in something like this." The emphasis was not lost to Sousuke.

"Well, first you have to mount the bike." Sousuke replied as he too began to grin with a small blush to his cheeks.

"Something like this?" Urd growled as she extended her arms. Black tendrils of energy swooped forward and enveloped Sousuke, drawing him up into the air and swinging him onto his back. He was drawn through the room and landed with an audible thump on the futon. Urd immediately leaped forward and landed on top of him, straddling him as she sat neatly above him. Her sharp giggle and laughter drawing a pointed "Shhhh." from Sousuke as he feared Skuld's interference.

"So then I guess I would grab the handlebars right?" She questioned innocently as she reached down and took Sousuke's wrists into each hand. "Then what?"

"Well normally you would have a little more lean on a sports bike. The angle is a bit more aggressive." He replied with a light dusting of mirth on every word.

"Like this?" Urd questioned as she scooted down a few more inches and allowed her upper body to arch further forward. Her face now inches from Sousuke's as she held him pinned.

Sousuke could feel her warm breath on his face and he savored the feeling. He could smell something heavenly like a cross between fire and ice or the warm feeling that would permeate the chassis of a Type 2 Armslave equipped with a rail gun after a long gun fight. Something oh so heavenly.

Sousuke slowly and tentatively lifted his head while craning his neck. He grew bolder as Urd seemed to almost encourage him to enter her personal space. He quickly schemed a very impromptu battle plan before tilting his head and gently placing his teeth on Urd's bottom lip.

Urd inhaled sharply as she felt his teeth gently tug her face downwards before she followed his lead. She allowed him to capture her mouth in his and their tongues tentatively met in the middle.

Sousuke explored her mouth slowly and deliberately. He savored every moment as the warm smell of leather began to fill the air, masking the heavenly scent that Urd radiated.

They spent the rest of the evening kissing and holding. Neither could bear to be away from the other, and Urd and Sousuke both were amazed by how perfectly they seemed to be made for each other in every aspect.

Marller, First Class Demon of Unlimited License, knelt behind a bush in the front yard of the temple where Keiichi and the Goddesses were residing. She had arrived early in the hopes of performing a little reconnaissance. Chibi-Hild, her De facto commander was growing bored and wished to stir up some new troubles for the Goddesses, so Marller was assigned the task of finding a new way to annoy them.

"Ridiculous." Marller huffed as she held her position as steadily as possible. She had a clear view of the entrance and could see that 'stupid contraption' they called Banpei as it slumbered underneath a blanket. "I hate that thing." She growled before returning her attention to the door.

It was half an hour later that Marller finally noticed movement. The front door slid open with a soft bang and Keiichi exited carrying a large set of books. He had his helmet on and was making his way towards where he parked his motorcycle. Marller fought back an urge to whistle appreciatively as she finally noticed the impressive and dangerous looking motorcycle tucked behind Keiichi's big bore BMW. "Nice, the dork is growing up." She spoke softly.

"Ok Belldandy!" Keiichi belted out as he softly placed the books inside the side car. "I think we are ready!"

"Coming!" The voice of Belldandy could be heard replying from within the temple. She then appeared in view as she stepped over the threshold of the doorway and smiled sweetly at Keiichi.

"It's a beautiful morning. Isn't it?" Keiichi asked as he looked about.

"Oh it is! I so enjoy our rides to school in the morning Mr. Keiichi!" Belldandy laughed lightly as she placed her helmet on her head and climbed into the sidecar after Keiichi offered his hand to her. "Are we going to wait for Sousuke?" She inquired.

"I guess we can wait a few more minutes. For a guy who wakes up so early, he sure is running late." Keiichi replied as he started the motor to his bike and allowed it to warm up.

Marller wondered to herself what a 'Sousuke' was as she rubbed at her leg absentmindedly as it fell asleep on her. The answer to her question appeared in the doorway in a questionably odd way as a leather clad figure tumbled backwards in the arms of... URD?

Sousuke stumbled backwards as he nearly tripped on the elevated wooden slat at the entrance way of the temple. He was attempting to juggle books in one hand and a helmet in the other, while Urd gripped him by the face, her mouth pressed firmly against his.

"And THAT is why he is late." Belldandy spoke as she pointed at the pair before giggling softly.

"I see." Keiichi replied as he tried to avert his gaze from the scene the pair was making.

After every word Sousuke tried to speak, Urd would pull his face back down to hers as he struggled to guide them towards his motorcycle. "Urd... I ... Have... Class... Imperative... Not late..."

"Later." Urd pleaded as she pinched and clutched at his leather suit in an attempt to keep him from escaping.

Marller was shocked. Her mouth hung open and her pointed teeth glistened in the early morning light as she attempted to wrap her mind around what she was seeing. "Who is that?" She mumbled as she reached out with two fingers in an effort to spread the leaves open for a better view.

Sousuke held his left arm out and backwards as he guided himself slowly to his bike. He eventually navigated himself and Urd safely to his bike where he promptly used his arms to allow them both to rotate around so he could begin fastening his books to the rear seat area of the bike using some bungee cord. His mouth stayed firmly planted on Urd's as she bobbed and weaved her head to keep her connection to him as he worked on the fastening.

"What a little nasty!" Marller hissed as she watched what she felt was a shameful scene. "I knew Urd was a freak; ever since we were kids." She continued as she stared daggers at Urd's back.

"Urd. I must go." Sousuke breathed as he held his face up and away from the reach of the frantic Goddess.

"No. Not yet." Urd pleaded as she pouted her lips and gave her best puppy dog eyes impression.

"I will return." Sousuke reassured her.

"Not soon enough." She cooed.

"Uhh... We need to get going." Keiichi finally spoke wondering if he was going to get blown up or not for his well intentioned attempt to assist Sousuke.

"The commander says I have a mission to attend too." Sousuke smiled as he gestured at Keiichi. "First school, then when I return tonight, we can go for some R\&R somewhere nice. All of us. My treat." Sousuke continued.

"Fine." Urd growled before a look of inspiration flashed across her face. "I might just have to stop by the school at lunch." She nodded before taking four steps backwards and away from Sousuke. "Ride safe."

"For you, anything and always." Sousuke replied as he slipped his helmet on and saddled his bike.

Belldandy wondered why Sousuke's eyes contorted in pain as he mounted his motorcycle and then her cheeks erupted in blush as he 'corrected himself'. "Oh my." Belldandy thought as she tried to find an interesting spot to stare at inside the side car.

"Oh this is perfect!" Marller grinned as she watched the two motorcycles disappear out of the front gates of the temple. She waited a few moments for Urd to reenter the temple and as she began to energize herself to teleport she spotted something that nearly made her heart stop.

A butterfly slid through the air in a wave like motion while it's brightly colored wings flapped powerfully. The tiny bug no larger than the end of a table spoon, wings and all, had caused her to become very frightened.

"Urgh." Marller grunted as she froze in position and hoped the creature didn't notice her. Sweat began to bead on her forward as it slowly began to float in her direction before breaking left and heading up further and further into the sky.

"Rotten beasts." She spat as she looked to the sky in the hopes of spotting the offending creature. "Dirty, rotten, evil monsters." She continued to complain as she energized and teleported away to her hide out where Chibi-Hild currently rested.

"Really?" Chibi-Hild, the diminutive avatar of the lord of all darkness gushed as she hung over the backrest of a chair where she currently sat on her knees. "She has a booooy-friend?" She enunciated before giggling maniacally.

"Some soldier-y looking guy with a big scar on his face." Marller continued to explain as she knelt before Chibi-Hild. "Urd practically ate his teeth."

Chibi-Hild inhaled sharply before giggling some more. "Then what?"

"Then I saw a butterfly and I teleported here." Marller finished her story.

"The beast didn't follow you here did it?" Chibi-Hild spat as she became aggressively serious.

"No. Of course not." Marller replied quickly.

"Good." Chibi-Hild spoke before the large smile returned to her face. "I think it's time for me to tell... me... what is going on."

"As you wish my lord." Marller bowed her head and placed a closed fist over her chest.

Sousuke followed Keiichi at a leisurely pace to school. The motorcycle only had 30 miles on the motor and he was concerned about breaking it in. So as not to fall prey to the allure of opening the beast up on the high way, he made it a personal mission to stay behind Keiichi the entire way to school.

"Wow." Keiichi mouthed as he kept throwing sideways glances at Sousuke through his rear view mirror. "It's so nice."

"Do you plan to get one?" Belldandy inquired over the road noise.

"No. I'd probably kill myself on something like that." Keiichi replied before returning his full attention to the road ahead. "Those are way too fast for the street. I could never use it all."

"I see." Belldandy replied as she fell into deep thought.

The trio eventually arrived at school and Sousuke parked his bike with the rest of the motorcycles. The cool morning air was almost uncomfortably icy underneath the awning where the sun had yet to warm the atmosphere. "I need to stop at the front office." He spoke before quickly moving in the opposite direction of class.

"Don't be late!" Keiichi bellowed as he and Belldandy began to make their way towards advanced engine development III.

"ETA less than three minutes!" Sousuke replied as he threw his books over his shoulder and began to remove his helmet while still in motion. He noticed a lot of looks as people stopped to stare at his outfit. Moving at a brisk pace he made his way into the administration building and directly to the front office.

"Yes?" An elderly woman inquired as he entered the room. She stood behind a chest high divider while other women bustled about preparing paperwork and such behind her.

"I would like to acquisition the charter paperwork for a new club." Sousuke spoke quickly. "I am on a bit of a time crunch."

"Certainly." The elderly woman replied as she reached under the desk and handed an adequately thick stack of papers in a manila envelope to Sousuke. "You will need ten student signatures and a sponsorship fee of no less than \$$500$."

"Thank you." Sousuke replied as he rushed out of the room and headed for his first class. Within what felt like moments he was bustling into the class with a few stragglers with only about a minute to spare. Sousuke tossed a thumbs up to Keiichi and Belldandy as he made his way to sit down.

"Uhoh." Belldandy breathed as she watched Sousuke sit.

"What?" Keiichi asked before his breath hitched in his throat. "Is that who I think it is?"

"I believe it is Mr. Keiichi." Belldandy replied as she nervously waved back at a cheerful and waving Hild who was currently seating herself next to Keiichi.

Hild wore a Japanese high school uniform that was much too short and platform heels. Her hair was pulled up into a pink bow and her top looked as though she didn't understand the concept of "buttons".

"Hello there." She spoke to Sousuke causing him to turn his head and look at her.

"Greetings." Sousuke replied with a confused look on his face. The woman sitting next to him reminded him intensely of Urd and his eyes immediately fell on the star tattoos on her face. "Are you...?"

"A Goddess?" Hild grinned as she crossed her legs and placed on elbow on her thigh so she could rest her chin on her palm. "Something a little bit better."

"I see. Are you related to...?"

"Urd?" Hild finished his sentence again. "Who do YOU think I am?"

"Perhaps a sister or cousin?" Sousuke inquired as he realized that Hild and Urd shared the same hair color and eye color and many of the same features.

Hild giggled before lightly slapping Sousuke on the shoulder. "Aw. Flattery will get you EVERY WHERE. I'm her mother."

Belldandy and Keiichi didn't hear a word of the lecture as they watched the exchange between Sousuke and Hild. Belldandy didn't once smile as she monitored the Greatest Demoness of all and the fragile human sitting so precariously close to her.

"So... I heard some rumors." Hild spoke casually as she grinned mischievously.

"I recommend verifying all rumors with direct intelligence." Sousuke spoke.

"And that is exactly what I am here for." Hild replied before continuing. "So how did you two meet?"

"Urd rescued me from certain death and granted my wish." Sousuke replied as he spoke calmly to the Goddess of Hell before him.

"How romantic." Hild gushed girlishly before flippantly jerking her hand in a gesture to encourage Sousuke to speak more.

"I believe it would be prudent if we had more of this conversation in the presence of Urd. If I may respectfully say so?" Sousuke smiled softly as he struggled to take notes while giving his utmost attention to the mother of the love of his life.

"I agree!" Hild replied before conjuring a pen and paper. "I think I will spend the whole day with you! Get to know you!" She grinned as she too began to take notes in the class.

Sousuke beamed inside as he imagined how happy Urd would be to see her mother and how proud she would be to know that Sousuke and she had a good day together. He felt hope when he thought of how he and Urd's mom might become friends or at least be congenial with each other.

"This is very bad." Belldandy whispered to Keiichi as Hild stared daggers at her through her eyelashes as she scribbled on a sheet of notebook paper.

"I'll say." Keiichi concurred as he gulped hard.

Keiichi raised an eye brow as Hild slowly lifted her sheet of paper up to reveal a well drawn picture of Belldandy and him being hit by fruits and vegetables while Chibi-Hild points and laughs. She then placed the sheet of paper back down and grinned as Sousuke continued to concentrate on a sheet of paper he was filling out.

When the bell rang, Sousuke stood and motioned for Hild to exit by passing before him. He followed her outwards and waved at Belldandy and Keiichi as they too filed into line next to him.

"Hello Belldandy!" Hild beamed with a dangerous looking smile. "How is your father?"

"I would think he would be fine." Belldandy replied. "Thank you." She added as an afterthought.

"Good." Hild spoke with a sharp tone. "Hello Keiichi." She continued as she looked over her shoulder to look at the nervous young man.

"Uhhh. Hello Hild." He stuttered lightly as he tried to flash a smile in her direction.

"So where are we going next?" Hild spoke cheerily as she stepped quickly to plant herself directly next to Sousuke. The elder demoness then looped one arm around Sousuke's and moved closely to him.

Sousuke was surprised at the actions of Hild, but he assumed it was simply her way of showing acceptance of him. He then bent his arm and allowed her to hold it as he guided her to the next class. He quickly realized that the leather suit got far less looks then the beautiful mother of Urd.

"Oh I feel so alive!" Hild giggled as she would occasionally wave at gawkers while they walked with a large smile on her face. "Can you hear them whispering?" She laughed excitedly.

Sousuke chuckled and simply ignored the behavior of his fellow students. He was trying very hard to behave in the best way possible because of his desire for acceptance from Urd's family.

"So tell me about yourself Sousuke." Hild prodded as she continued to walk with him. "You used to be in the military right?"

"You have good intelligence." Sousuke laughed. "Yes, I was. I was a member of Mithril and I began my military career at an approximate age of six years old."

"I see you spent time in Georgia, Croatia, and Afghanistan." Hild nodded and smirked as Sousuke turned a confused look on her.

"Very good intelligence." Sousuke spoke slightly lower this time.

"Oh sweety. I can read minds. I just spent the last few minutes reading your entire soul." Hild laughed before releasing Sousuke's arm. "A little more comfortable when an expert does it, then one of these amateurs huh?" She giggled before jerking a thumb at Belldandy. "That shot you took in Libya... There was a demon guiding your hand. Don't beat yourself up about it." She added flippantly causing Sousuke's face to turn very pale.

"I see." He spoke in quiet contemplation before extending his arm again. "Shall we go to class?"

"Resilient! I like that!" Hild beamed before taking his arm and entering the classroom for another lesson.

Belldandy could only mumble a half hearted "Oh my." as she followed the pair into the next classroom with Keiichi at her side.

The next class seemed to pass just as quickly as the last and soon the group would be headed for lunch.

"I'm starving." Keiichi groaned as he rubbed his stomach.

"I wouldn't mind a quick meal." Sousuke agreed before turning to look at "Hild. Are you hungry?"

"I suppose I could eat." Hild laughed. "I don't think I have eaten a meal on Earth in... Wow... A few thousand years."

"Well, I believe the cafeteria is serving chicken dumplings and I think their salad is very good." Sousuke spoke as he contemplated the 'few thousand years' comment.

"Is that your motorcycle over there?" Hild asked as she pointed at a large crowd of students piling around the awning where Sousuke and Keiichi had left their bikes.

Sousuke could only give a hard glare in the direction of the students as he pivoted on the ball of his foot and began to approach the group.

"Sit on it!" He could hear a student cry out as several other voices urged someone on.

"Hold on! Get a picture of this." replied a rather husky guy as he prepared to swing his leg over the saddle of the bike.

"Negative!" Sousuke barked causing most of the crowd to jump. "Back up." He continued as he stepped into the middle of the crowd.

The tubby student nearly fell and almost took the bike with him as he stumbled backwards. "Hey buddy, it's all just fun!" He spoke as Sousuke continued to advance on him.

"Hey... Buddy... I wouldn't mount your girlfriend so don't try to mount mine." Sousuke growled dangerously as he pointed at the bike. "You can look all you want, but you don't stick your hands or your crotch on her."

Hild chuckled causing Sousuke to look seriously abashed.

"Sorry ma'am." Sousuke spoke quickly as he turned to the olive skinned demon queen. "I hope I didn't offend you."

"Oh... My delicate sensibilities have been offended." Hild feigned offense as she dramatically placed the back of her hand to her forehead and made a face as though she were going to faint.

Belldandy gave a sour face but remained silent.

"I think the only thing that can assuage my pains is a ride on the back of this bike." She continued to ham it up causing Sousuke to chuckle.

"As you wish." He spoke with a flourishing bow. Sousuke immediately turned to the bike, placed the key in the ignition and mounted the cycle. Grabbing a handful of clutch he began to walk the bike backwards and then turned the handlebars to allow the bike to curve so that it lined up next to Hild.

"Here you go." Sousuke spoke as he reached backwards and pulled the rear pegs down into the locked position. "Hope on."

Hild extended one hand and several of the male students scrambled forward to help her mount the bike. Her tiny school girl uniform hiked dangerously high as she grabbed the material with one hand and pulled herself tightly to Sousuke's back with the other.

"Just remember to hold on tight and lean when I lean. Ok?" Sousuke spoke softly as he pressed the engine start button and the motor roared to life. "We are just going to do some low speed maneuvers."

"All right." Hild laughed before clasping her fingers together at Sousuke's waist. "Let's see what you can do."

After a few seconds the bike was warmed and the crowd had dispersed to a safe position on a grassy patch next to the parking lot.

Sousuke took a moment to inspect his surroundings and then placed his right leg outwards before smoothly rolling on the throttle and steering the handlebars. The bike snapped to attention and they made a perfect U turn in a very small amount of space.

Once he got the bike rolling he began to do figure eights and U turns much to the delight of Hild who was laughing and giggling at the top of her lungs. Applause was beginning to erupt from the crowd as Sousuke gave an amazing show of low speed motorcycle control.

"Big finish!" Sousuke called out as he lay on the throttle and brought the bike to about 15 miles per hour while heading straight forward. "Hold on tight!" He yelled out before pulling in the front brake to about $80$\% strength and pushing himself up wards on his pegs. Hild followed as she tried to stay as close as possible to him and the bike gently rolled up onto the front wheel.

Sousuke balanced the machine perfectly as he allowed it to roll forward for about two feet and then stop. It hung in the air for a few more seconds before Sousuke bent his knees and the sudden change in weight distribution caused the bike to return to the ground with a soft thud.

"That was great!" Hild yelled as Sousuke returned the bike to the awning area amid a huge cheering crowd.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Sousuke smiled as he held the bike steady while Hild stepped off. The moment of excitement he had was cut short as he looked over Hilds shoulder and noticed Urd and the look of pure rage on her face.

Belldandy and Keiichi stood next to her, and it looked as though heat was radiating off of her as she chewed on her lower lip.

Sousuke gave a questioning look to Urd and began to move towards her as the smile slipped off of his face. He could see shock, anger, hurt, and something like fear in her eyes. He couldn't understand what had horrified her so much, unless she may have been concerned about his exploits on the bike.

"Good afternoon Urd." Sousuke spoke as he got closer. The feel of a hand gripping his elbow shocked him for a moment before he realized Hild had joined him. "I met your mother." He continued with an encouraging smile.

"Hild..." Urd growled as she stared down the demoness. "What do you want with Sousuke?"

"Oh Urd." Hild laughed as she pulled Sousuke closer. "A mother can't meet her only daughters boyfriend? He's cute." She added.

"Urd, is something wrong?" Sousuke asked as he looked between the two similar looking Goddesses.

"It's complicated." Urd replied curtly as she slowly gestured for Sousuke to come to her. She appeared nervous.

"No. It isn't. " Hild replied as she tightened her grip on his arm. "It's very simple. Urd won't accept that I am her mother. She thinks it will make her a demon. She's embarrassed of who she is and what she is."

"I'm not embarrassed of anything." Urd snapped before taking a few steps closer to Sousuke. "Let him go." She demanded.

"I think every one might need to calm down." Sousuke piped up as he made eye contact with Belldandy. He began to grow nervous as she shook her head in a negative fashion with a pained look on her face.


	14. Chapter 14

The energy in the air was palpable as Urd and Hild stared each other down. Sousuke could feel the muscles in his arm beginning to ache as Hild gripped him with an unnatural force. She seemed to be using him as some form of human shield as far as he could tell by the way she stood so close to him.

"I want you to listen to me." Hild growled. "You are growing up and I never got to spend more than ten minutes with you since you were born! Don't you think a mother would like to spend time with her daughter, without some stupid God supervising her every action?"

A loud crack pierced the air as Sousuke fell to his knees. Hild had cleanly broken his arm where she had been gripping him.

Hild loosed her grip and both hands immediately came to cover her mouth as she looked down at what she had done. A look of shock painted her face as she took two steps backwards. She had lost her cool for only a moment and she had gripped his arm with only a fraction of her power.

Sousuke held himself up with his good arm as his eyes swam with tears and drool leaked from his mouth. He choked back a scream and his face grimaced in a horrible contortion.

"SOUSUKE!" Urd screamed as she rushed forward. She practically threw herself to the floor as she slowly brought both hands up to inspect the damage caused by Hild.

"Don't try to heal it!" Belldandy yelped as she too rushed forward. "Wounds caused by Hild have different karmic repercussions!"

"I know that!" Urd hissed as she placed both hands on Sousuke's head and kissed the top of his head. Warm tears began to fill her eyes as she realized just how helpless she was in helping him. "I'm so sorry." She whispered.

Sousuke continued to hold himself perfectly still as he bit into his lip. The pain in his arm was unbearable and he fought back the urge to scream but only barely.

Urd turned to face Hild who stood with a pained expression on her face. She looked almost ashamed for what she had done to Sousuke in a moment of weakness. "Why?" Urd spoke in a tone that belayed madness.

"It wasn't my intention to hurt him." Hild replied quickly as she stared down at the young man.

"Why do you do this to me? Every time I think I might be happy. You show up and ruin EVERY THING!" Urd screamed as purple and black energy began to swirl beneath her and Sousuke. "Don't you understand why he never let you see me? Because you ruin EVERYTHING!" She continued to scream as she moved to stand.

Urd sparkled and crackled with demonic and angelic energy as it swirled and danced across her entire body. Her eyes began to glow an inky black as she slowly began to lift her hands up to chest level. Energy convalesced in a pool of pure light as her palms balled it into a usable form. A deep and guttural growl began to escape from her as she prepared to attack Hild with every bit of power she had.

"No!" Sousuke cried out before throwing himself forward and grabbing one of Urd's arms. The energy scorched his palm and numbed his entire body as he gripped as tightly as he could to Urd. He refused to allow her to attack Hild. "It was an accident!" He screamed out.

Urd faltered and stumbled forward as her arm was jerked downwards by Sousuke's weight. She was struggling between her rage and her love for Sousuke. Within a split second an explosion formed around the Goddess and her charge as the energy fought to find the path of least resistance. Energy erupted straight upwards as smoke and dust hid the pair.

"Urd! Sousuke!" Belldandy yelled as she rushed forward. The wind and debris whipped at her face and clothes as she struggled to see inside the vortex.

Hild closed her eyes and extended both hands before slowly allowing them to form fists which she lowered to the ground extremely slowly. As though she were controlling a puppet the debris froze and then began to lower at the same rate as her hands movement.

Keiichi swore he saw tears on Hild's cheeks glistening but as soon as he blinked they were gone. "Are they OK?" Keiichi called out to Belldandy. His heart fell as the Goddess failed to answer him.

The swirling debris quickly parted and revealed Urd and Sousuke sprawled on the floor. Urd had somehow landed over Sousuke's body in a way in which it appeared she had pulled him into a protective embrace before enveloping him in her form. Hild had so perfectly removed the debris from them that they appeared as though they may simply have fallen asleep in a sea of sand and dirt.

"Urd?" Belldandy spoke softly as she knelt next to her sister. "Urd." She continued as she reached out to place both hands on her. She was afraid to move her in case she may aggravate her or Sousuke's wounds any more.

Belldandy stared coldly at Hild as she knelt beside the pair.

"Please. Allow me." Hild spoke softly as she made eye contact with Belldandy.

Belldandy didn't budge as she stared at the almighty Demon Queen. "I won't let you hurt them." She finally spoke. Her tone was dangerous.

Hild was unmoved as her expression remained passive. "I am going to help." She replied.

"In the same way you helped Sousuke?" Belldandy replied curtly.

"No. I won't make a mistake this time." Hild calmly continued. "Please. We both know time is of the essence."

Belldandy duck walked backwards a few steps as she kept her stare on Hild. She was loathe to trust Hild, but she knew that she was the only one with the power to help the pair.

Hild clapped her hands. The shock wave nearly knocked Belldandy off of her feet as a blast of energy buffeted her and she was forced to hunker down for a moment. Hild then began to rub her hands together and a thin light emanated from between her fingers as she rhythmically slid them back and forth. The sound of demonic chattering began to echo all about as a cool darkness surrounded the area and blotted out all of the light. Slowly a purple haze began to emanate from the ground and surround Urd and Sousuke. The demonic fog convalesced into a thick soupy substance that began to lift the pair into the air.

Belldandy bit her lip as she fought the urge to escape from the pit of hellish energy surrounding her. She felt repulsed and sickened by the whirling atmosphere of hell that Hild was employing to heal those she loved.

A gradual but distinct emission of purple light began to leak from the skin of Sousuke and Urd as they floated in the air like a pair of rag dolls. Their bodies entirely limp but strangely and grotesquely manipulated in a manner much like a puppet. The odd contortions of muscle spasms and jerks moved them about as Hild continued to pray in a strange and demonic tongue.

Belldandy was relieved when the demonic energy suddenly evaporated. She felt a tremendous weight being lifted off her shoulders as the purple energy winked out of existence. Turning her gaze to Sousuke and Urd she realized the pair was stirring as they made landfall once more.

Sousuke's head lolled to the side as he cracked a weak grin. He was looking at Urd's hair and his eyes seemed strangely unfocused. "I like your hair cut." He chuckled.

"Huh?" Urd questioned weakly as she tilted her head backwards and looked up to find she was haloed by her hair. The long delicate strands floated upwards as though propelled by an odd wind. Static had turned her locks into a massive tangle of Medusa-like proportions.

"Kiss kiss." Sousuke giggled as he took two weak steps forward and leaned towards Urd. He puckered his lips but was repelled instantly as a flash of purple lighting arced onto his lower lip. A small red welt slowly began to form as Urd's hair drifted back downwards and out of the air.

"Ouch." Urd breathed softly as she smiled at the dumb founded Sousuke.

"Are they going to be strange for long?" Belldandy inquired as she noticed their almost drunken state.

"They will be good as new shortly." Hild replied as she gazed upon the pair with a look that could be mistaken as lovingly.

Sousuke began to regain his full faculties and he realized that he was feeling pretty good. His lip felt a little burnt, but for the most part he was feeling better now than he had in a long time. His skin felt as though he had been scrubbed down with a warm cloth.

Something was strange though. Sousuke looked about and realized that there wasn't another human being moving. Even Keiichi was frozen with a slightly shocked look on his face. "What happened?" He asked as he turned to look at Hild.

"I stopped time. Just don't want you to have any other problems." She smiled before turning to look at Urd. "I guess I will go now."

Urd simply stared with her arms crossed.

"Hild?" Sousuke spoke as he stepped closer to Urd. He was silent for a moment before he placed both arms around his Goddess. "I am going to get in trouble for this but I want to ask you something."

"Yes?" Hild replied as she fought back an urge to smile at how relaxed Urd had become the moment Sousuke had draped her in his arms.

"Would you and your friend join us for a family dinner tonight?" Sousuke inquired as he braced himself for Urd's explosion of violence he anticipated.

"I..." Hild was speechless and unable to utter a single word. She turned her head to look and almost chuckled as Marller wore her shocked expression on her shoulder.

"Would you have me?" Hild inquired as she turned to Urd.

Urd looked to Sousuke and closed her eyes for a moment. She seemed to be drawing up strength from Sousuke's embrace before she finally spoke. "Yes. I would like you and Marller to join all of us for dinner tonight." A pained expression seemed to cross over her face for a moment before it cracked into a grin.

"Are you reading my mind?" Sousuke whispered into her ear.

"Of course." Urd whispered back before leaning forward and placing a kiss on his nose.

While the pair were busy Hild snapped her fingers and the entire world returned to normal. A collective sigh of "Ahhhh" echoed from all of the gathered students as they gazed upon Sousuke and Urd.

Sousuke sat in the auditorium and scribbled on a sheet of paper as he took notes. He behaved as though he were blissfully unaware of the odd looks he and his entourage were receiving. Sousuke was tucked in between Hild and Urd who seemed to both be pushed as close to him as they could possibly be. While Belldandy sat next to Urd and Marller looked very bored sitting off to the side of Hild. Keiichi had found a scrap of space on the bench seat next to Belldandy.

"Is everyone comfortable?" Urd questioned with a hint of sarcasm in her voice as she leaned forward to look at Hild and Marller.

Hild grinned back at Urd while Marller flashed a flippant thumb up.

"Looks like everyone is doing well." Sousuke spoke quietly as he tapped at the sheet of paper he was writing on for a moment with the back of his pen and then returned to scribbling.

"I guess so." Urd replied before wrapping an arm around Sousuke and leaning so she could rest her head on his shoulder. "I think I will take a little nap."

"Excuse me! You there! You need to stay awake or leave the lecture!" The teacher boomed as he pointed at Urd.

Hild smirked and Marller fought back a laugh as she looked up at the ceiling.

Urd could only shift uncomfortably as she scowled at the teacher but relaxed visibly after Sousuke pat her leg encouragingly.

After the school day was finished, the entire group walked together to the motorcycle parking area. Urd had slipped off to the side of a building and quickly changed into her motorcycle outfit after she decided she wanted to ride home on the bike. Magic powers have their perks.

Standing beneath the motorcycle awning, Hild stretched her arms upwards and yawned before speaking. "That is a cute outfit." She pointed at Urd as she admired the pink leather suite.

"Thank you." Urd replied contritely.

"I think we can all meet at the restaurant at $1800$ hrs. Only of course if it works with your schedule." Sousuke spoke as he prepped his helmet.

"I think we can make it." Hild chuckled lightly before passing a gaze over Marller. "Where are we eating again?"

"Outback Steak House." Sousuke replied.

Keiichi felt his stomach drop as he wondered how he was going to pay for himself and Belldandy at such an expensive restaurant.

"It's going to be my treat. I want to take every one out for a family dinner." Sousuke continued to speak.

Keiichi felt a wave of relief pass over him as he discovered he wasn't going to be shelling out two paychecks for one meal.

The ride home was uneventful. Sousuke, Belldandy, Urd, and Keiichi arrived without incident and parked their motorcycles.

As Sousuke and Urd removed their helmets, Sousuke began to speak. "Urd, I am glad you agreed."

Urd knew exactly what Sousuke meant and she felt compelled to answer. "It's fine. I understand how important building this family is to you. I don't think you understand entirely who Hild really is, but she seems to like you. That scares me."

"Why?" Sousuke inquired.

"Because she is dangerous. Don't you understand? She is the devil. The real devil." Urd continued. "Did you notice she broke your arm?"

Sousuke cracked a smile before reaching out to caress Urd's cheek. "She is also your mother."

"That doesn't count." Urd sighed.

"I think it does. I think you are perfect. I think I love your family as much as I love you. I think I want to be a part of all of this." Sousuke smiled as he tucked his helmet under his arm.

"Just think?" Urd asked mischievously.

"I am completely positive that I want to be a part of your family. This statement is as accurate as a G36 Rail Gun." Sousuke replied with a grin.

"That's pretty accurate." Urd laughed before hugging Sousuke. "So what do I wear?"


	15. Chapter 15

"No." Skuld whined as she crossed her arms and huffed on the floor. "I don't want to."

"Skuld, may be you are looking at this the wrong way." Sousuke spoke as he knelt before the upset Goddess.

"You think I want to have dinner with the two demons who have almost killed every one here so many countless times?" Skuld barked as she tilted her head and stared at the soldier with a disbelieving look.

"May be you can think of it like a reconnaissance mission. You go in, discover your enemies weakness, and then plunge a knife in their back when they aren't looking." Sousuke offered as he made a stabbing motion with his hand.

"Like a spy?" Skuld questioned tentatively.

"Affirmative. Just like a spy." Sousuke spoke as he nodded his head at a gingerly pace.

"May be you are right. We need to learn about our enemy and discover how to defeat her!" Skuld began to speak excitedly as she hopped to her feet. "I'm going to go change."

"Good thinking!" Sousuke spoke as he fought back a smile. He felt an affection for the young Goddess as though she were his own child.

Urd stepped into the room from the doorway as Skuld rushed passed. It was obvious she had been watching the exchange and the smile on her face revealed her approval.

"Spy huh?" Urd spoke through a mischievous grin.

"It worked." Sousuke replied as he extended his arms and beckoned Urd to "him. She just needed a little motivation."

Urd pressed herself against Sousuke as she drew him into a hug. She was still surprised by how a simple touch could cause so many of her senses to go haywire. She could taste gunpowder today when she touched him. Her ability to control her psychometry was improving, but it seemed that she always got her senses muddled when she was so close to him.

"Your soul tastes like gunpowder" Urd spoke as she giggled lightly.

"Thank you?" Sousuke replied questioningly causing Urd to laugh even harder.

"Any time." Urd replied as she stepped back. "So what do you think?" She grinned as she twirled about at fingers length.

Urd was wearing a white and black strapless dress. The two colors seemed to swirl upwards from the bottom, cleanly cutting the outfit into two pieces.

"I like this a lot." Sousuke spoke as he gazed upon her appraisingly. "I'm impressed."

"I thought you would like this. You seem to have a thing for the whole black and white business." Urd spoke flippantly as she reached up to twirl one of the long pigtails she had pulled her hair up into.

-Later

Sousuke sat on the floor of the bedroom Urd and he shared. He had just finished showering and was dressed in a pair of boxer shorts and a tank top. He hefted his pistol up into his hand from where it had rested on a crumpled shirt. Gripping the slide in his left hand he actuated the magazine release with his thumb and extracted the heavy accessory. He then slipped the handle into the crook of his hand and jerked the slide back allowing the chambered shell to flip up and outwards.

Sousuke racked the slide several more times before contorting his thumb and index fingers to allow him to slip the slide off of the receiver. He deftly disassembled the weapon and laid the spring, slide, lower receiver, and the barrel assembly out on an older T-Shirt. He took a few breaths before he reached out for a tan colored round pouch and unzipped it to display its contents. The cleaning kit was aged but well stocked with every object he might need.

Removing a small black bottle with a push to spray top, Sousuke began to liberally apply a cleaner and solvent to all of the parts. He used his free hand to rotate and rub the liquid into as many nooks and crannies as he could before returning the pieces and drying his hand on the shirt he was using.

"What's that smell?" Urd questioned as she stepped into the room still wearing her two toned dress.

"Black Ops brand multi weapon solvent and cleaner." Sousuke replied. He looked around the room for a moment before spying a wire brush he had dropped when he had recovered his cleaning pouch.

Urd noticed his eyes on the brush and with a snap of her fingers the brush lifted cleanly into the air and floated the distance to Sousuke's open palm.

"Thank you my love." Sousuke grinned before starting the process of scrubbing the parts and reaming the barrel.

"A Goddess lives to serve." Urd replied with a grin as she watched Sousuke work methodically upon his weapon. In moments the weapon was cleaned and reassembled and Sousuke had reloaded it.

"I suppose it's time to get ready isn't it?" He questioned as he stood and began the short process of putting on his suit. He quickly dressed and smiled in Urd's direction as she watched him with an appraising look on her face.

"I like this." She smirked before stepping softly into the room and shutting the paper thin door. "Come to me." She commanded causing Sousuke to float upwards and towards her. "Now then." She growled as she pulled him towards her. "I don't know if we are going to make it to dinner."

Sousuke gulped lightly before cracking an uneasy grin. "If we don't make it, you might hurt Marller's feelings." He offered.

"I would be devastated." Urd feigned distress as she lay her right wrist across her forehead and closed her eyes dramatically.

Without a second thought Sousuke reached up and clutched her wrist before twisting it down and behind her back. He side stepped deftly and drew her close to his body allowing his left hand to slip around her throat.

Slowly he planted a kiss upon her ear lobe and allowed his lips to drift down the side of her face as he closed his eyes and inhaled her scent. "You are so perfect." He breathed huskily as he allowed his finger tips to slowly ride up and down her wind pipe.

Urd growled and craned her entire body to press herself harder into his embrace. "Don't you think it's time we..." She began to speak before Sousuke released her from his clutches and twirled her lightly around.

"We have dinner to attend to my love." He spoke sternly.

"I guess." Urd replied before rolling her eyes exasperatedly. "Did you really just tease me?" She continued before crossing her arms and giving him an exasperated look.

"Affirmative." Sousuke replied.

"I'll remember that." Urd nodded her head gently as she took note of the turn of events. She then waved her hand and Sousuke was clothed and ready for the evening.

"No use in waiting." She giggled before looking at him with an appraising look upon her face. "It is amazing how wonderfully attractive a human can be." She spoke as a lusty fire burned in her eyes.

Sousuke turned his head to look at himself in one of the mirrors in the room and he wondered how someone as perfect as Urd could possibly find him attractive. His eyes hung upon the scar embedded deep into his face and the dour look he could never shake.

Reading his mind she glided forward quickly to draw him into an embrace. She locked her lips on his and kissed him passionately. The taste of gun powder, blood, death, and a pure demonic ecstasy passed over her as she drew his energy into her body. "I love you." She exhaled as she fought to keep her eyes from rolling into the back of her head, their lips parting ever so slightly.

"I love you too." Sousuke replied. He never felt so sure of himself. He loved Urd and he felt like he could tell the entire world.

"Kiss me." Urd breathed before pressing her lips to his. She placed her left hand around his neck and pushed him a few steps back, allowing him to slam firmly into a desk. She bit and thrust at his mouth with hers as her other hand clawed at his chest.

Sousuke held Urd by the hips and fought the urge to leg sweep her onto the futon. He wanted to take her as violently as she obviously wanted him. A dangerous passion unlike any he had ever felt welled inside of him.

They were oblivious to the fact that the door had been slid open and Belldandy, Keiichi, and Skuld were standing in the hallway.

"Are they killing each other?" Skuld asked softly as she looked up at Belldandy Skuld had a confused and almost fearful look on her face.

Keiichi gazed at the pair with a near voyeuristic feeling in his gut. He wanted to turn away but didn't seem like he could make the effort.

Belldandy coughed lightly and then did so again much more strongly. "We have dinner to attend to." She continued as she gazed sternly at her sister. "I don't think we should be late to a dinner with Hild."

"Don't say it." Urd growled as she turned her eyes back to Sousuke and began to loosen her grip on him.

"OK." Sousuke replied with a coy grin before he too began to release his grip on Urd.

Keiichi had a shell shocked look on his face as he made eye contact with Sousuke. Sousuke could only smirk as he wondered exactly what the pair might look like to the three individuals who had found them in such a compromising position. Truth be told he did care about appearances especially when it came to others perception of Urd and her honor.

It bothered him deeply that Belldandy, who was normally so flippant, appeared genuinely concerned by her sisters behavior with Sousuke. "Is every thing all right?" He asked slowly as he flattened the front of his three piece suit out against his chest.

"Of course!" Belldandy replied before switching back to her normal and smiling self. He didn't have to be a master spy and warrior to know she was hiding something but he decided to let it go.

"I'm riding my motorcycle too!" Skuld giggled excitedly from next to Belldandy. She behaved as though she were oblivious to the obviously 'nasty' behavior going on in the room.

"What kind of motorcycle did you get?" Sousuke asked as he bent at the waist and eyed her with a mirthful but suspicious gaze.

"It's a Banpei-RR. It's better than any old $1000$RR like some one I know might have." She replied factually.

"Can I see it?" Sousuke asked as he looked over his shoulder at Urd. He saw her face light up with pure joy as Skuld grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door.

"Of course!" She cried as the diminutive Goddess drug him through the temple and into the court yard. "Look!" She gasped excitedly, her finger pointed squarely at the exciting looking contraption.

Banpei appeared to have been molded into the form of a motorcycle and his head installed to function as a front fairing and cowl. The rear swing arm appeared to have been built by spot welding his legs together with two toes becoming the connecting rod for a rather fat tire. Attached at the swing arm pegs sat two rather imposing looking booster rockets. The seat looked to have been liberated from pieces of a recliner and the front tired appeared to be held by Banpei's hands. A liberal smearing of red paint on the aft section showed a proud "G-RD" on the 'bike'.

"G-RD?" Sousuke asked as he began to walk towards the motorcycle.

"Goddess Racing Development." Skuld proudly replied before skipping past Sousuke and leaping up onto the bike. "Banpei and I are thinking about entering a few races. Get our name out there. You know?" She replied in a business like manner.

"I see." Sousuke replied as he knelt and began to inspect the bike. "This is amazing." He breathed as he began to take in the intricacies of the machine she had created in mere hours. "These welds are perfect. Did you do all of this?" He questioned.

"Every bit of it." Skuld replied as she began to nearly glow with pride.

"May be you can show us more later!" Belldandy piped up as she began to herd every one toward their respective means of transportation. "I am sure Sousuke would love to discuss more with you."

"Affirmative." Sousuke replied and he meant it. "You are a mechanical genius." He spoke one more time before taking his helmet from Urd.

"Shall we my love?" Urd cooed before mounting the rear seat of the Honda. She leaned forward and gently kissed Sousuke on the back of the neck before whispering in his ear. "Thank you. That meant a lot to her." She then leaned back and slipped the helmet onto her head.

Sousuke began the process of starting and warming up the bike while he allowed the rest of the crew to prepare as well. Within moments the sound of three different propulsion systems began to growl and roar in a crescendo of pure energy.

"Hey Sousuke!" Skuld yelled over the din of the bike.

Sousuke turned his head to look at Skuld and as he caught eye contact with her in her Benpei-esque helmet she began to speak.

"If you think you got the guts... Why don't you try to keep up?" Before he could reply she cranked back the throttle and a blast of flames erupted from the rear of the bike.

Sousuke didn't hesitate as he revved the bike up to $7500$ RPM and rode the clutch into a perfect launch. The rear tire broke loose from the pavement in a howl of noise and smoke causing Urd to slip forward uncomfortably in surprise as she wildly gripped for a hand hold on his body.

Without hesitation Sousuke reached backwards with his left hand and gripped the Goddess up under where her thigh met other regions of her body. He held firm before pulling tightly and drawing her into a better position just before leaning powerfully into the first turn and catching full traction out onto the streets in hot pursuit of Skuld.

"Oh my!" Belldandy spoke softly as she watched the behavior of her two sisters and the mortal who had found his way into their life.

"I think I will just work on getting us there in one piece." Keiichi spoke as he looked down at Belldandy in his side car.

"I agree." She smiled back at him before folding her hands in her lap and allowing the man she loved so dearly to guide them to the restaurant at a more pleasurable pace.

Urd's dress fought valiantly to keep it's grip on her flesh as the pair rocketed through the street. The bike howled like a rabid beast as Sousuke slammed gears in both directions in order to keep up with the tiny Goddess who was in his sights.

"We got this." Skuld called out to Banpei before looking in her rear view mirror and realizing that the object rapidly filling up the mirror was in fact Sousuke and her sister Urd. In just a moment Sousuke had over taken her and she caught sight of Urd desperately trying to wrestle the back of her dress down over her now exposed back side with one hand while gripping Sousuke with the other.

"Sooooooo EW!" Skuld bellowed as her war cry before laying on even more throttle. She quickly rocketed up to find her self now even with the decidedly evil looking machine being piloted by a human who had no business being able to maneuver the vehicle so well.

Urd let go of her dress for a moment to throw a peace sign at Skuld before returning to her epic battle involving her now very cold backside and the fabric that just wouldn't cooperate.

"I'm not letting you win!" Skuld howled as she began to inch past Sousuke. The pair were rapidly approaching traffic and she realized that pure speed was going to be much less important than being able to maneuver.

"Time for my secret weapon." Skuld thought to herself before pressing a button on her handle bars. Wings spread out from Banpei and her bike rocketed into the air. She was going to fly over the traffic. "So long loosers!" She cried out as she buzzed her sister and Sousuke.

Sousuke began to laugh maniacally to himself as he watched Skuld over take him in the air and rocket through the traffic. He snatched a handful of clutch and began to gear down as the breaks on his bike began to glow like so many fiery hot petals made of light.

He began to maneuver between cars and trucks without blinking. The bike squealed and howled in delight as he used it for what it was. A machine designed for only one activity destroying pavement under it's sticky tires.

"How the hell...?" Urd thought as she watched from her position over his shoulder at the masterful riding skill being flaunted before her. She didn't know of a single human being who could possibly have such perfect control of a machine.

In moments they were clear of the traffic and Sousuke could still see Skuld only a few hundred meters ahead of him. He ducked down hard and hoped Urd would follow him as he began to draw down on the throttle with all his might. He quickly began to close the distance and the race ended with him only $100$ yards away from Skuld.

As Sousuke released the throttle he allowed the bike to coast in 6th gear while allowing his rear brake to drag to slow them at a safe pace.

"Wow." Urd breathed before hiking herself up on the pegs and finally drawing her dress back down and under her. "I can't believe you ride like that." She yelled over the wind into his ear.

"Thank you for the compliment." Sousuke replied as he noticed the restaurant off to the left of the freeway. He watched as Skuld simply jumped the barrier and landed presumably in the parking lot.

Within moments the three of them were in the parking lot and Sousuke was allowing his bike to idle while the three awaited Belldandy and Keiichi. "What took you so long slow poke?" Skuld joked.

"I was caught in traffic." Sousuke joked back before offering Skuld a high five.

The tiny Goddess reached out and clapped hands with Sousuke before cracking a giant smile. "I guess you didn't do too bad." She grinned.

"Thanks." Sousuke replied just as the sound of a puttering BMW began to fill the air signaling the arrival of Belldandy and Keiichi.

"Slooooow." Skuld taunted from her perch on her Banpei-cycle causing Sousuke to give her an admonishing shake of the head.

"Responsible." Sousuke spoke. "What we did was irresponsible and probably very dangerous." He continued.

"I agree." Urd laughed. "I think I showed half of the world my ass."

"How lucky they are." Sousuke replied without thinking causing Skuld to fake a gag.

"Shall we?" Sousuke asked as he offered one arm to Urd and the other to Skuld.

"We shall." Urd grinned mischievously before winking. "And how." She added in after thought.

"I think I need to start sleeping in between you too." Skuld groaned as she threw a disgusted look at Urd. "I don't think we can trust you two in that room alone any more."

"What ever." Urd laughed.

"May I offer you my arm my lady?" Keiichi asked as he followed suit with Sousuke.

"That would be delightful Mr. Keiichi." Belldandy replied with pure joy in her voice. She snatched onto his arm powerfully and nearly caused him to topple over before the pair were able to regain their balance and follow Sousuke, Urd, and Skuld towards the large wooden building.

"Out of all of the chain restaurants in the world; I think Outback is the superior choice." Sousuke spoke as he guided the women latched onto his arm towards the front door. For a moment he wondered the best way to open the door but was pleased to discover that the woman controlling the entrance had opened the door for them.

"Welcome Sir!" She greeted as her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates at the sight of the beautiful women before her.

Urd smirked and lifted her chin ever slightly higher as she pressed herself closer to Sousuke. "I do enjoy a good meal my love." She offered in a voice just high enough to ensure that the door woman heard her and her position of romantic interest to Sousuke.

"I love food!" Skuld concurred as she inhaled deeply. Her nostrils filled with the smell of fake Australian cooking and cedar from the wood planks that made up the entrance way of the building. "Is that steak, sweet potato, and shrimp?" She inquired aloud to no answer.

"We will need a table for seven. Two individuals will be joining us this evening. You won't be able to miss them; I am sure." Sousuke spoke as he eyed his surroundings. He locked eyes on a rather large curved booth that sat near the back of the building. He calculated that it would provide him with a perfect view of the entire restaurant and all of the entrances and exits.

"May we sit there?" He inquired as he pointed at the booth he had been studying only moments before.

"Certainly Sir." The young lady replied as she grabbed her notebook and a pencil. She took several uneasy steps past the impassive stare of Urd before regaining some semblance of confidence and guided the menagerie to their table.

Several patrons stopped their meals in its track as Urd, Skuld, and Belldandy walked through the restaurant. Keiichi gulped nervously as he too noticed the stares and whispers at the beautiful women gliding gently towards the booth.

"Do you know what you would like to drink?" The woman asked as she drew her notebook up and held her pencil at the ready.

"What do spies drink?" Skuld quickly asked as she shot an urgent look in Sousuke's direction.

"Orange juice?" He offered in replied.

"I LOVE orange juice!" Skuld replied excitedly. "Give me your most spy-like glass of Orange Juice please!" Skuld commanded confidently.

"Right." The woman spoke as a confused look passed over her face.

"I will have a Sho-Chiku-Bai Sake. The bottle please." Urd spoke as she placed an elbow down onto the wooden table and allowed her chin to rest in her palm.

"Iced Tea. Unsweetened." Sousuke spoke with a powerful nod.

"May I have a glass of water? Oh, and a half a glass of soda please. I'm feeling adventurous." Belldandy giggled before casting a gaze upon Keiichi that could almost be confused for seductive.

"Iced Tea. Sweetened please." Keiichi spoke quickly as his face began to blush.

"Do you know what your other guests would like to order?" The waitress inquired.

"No. I think they would prefer to order for themselves." Sousuke spoke.

In only a few moments the woman had retrieved their drinks and returned to the booth. Skuld received her orange juice in something like a Margarita Class and it appeared sufficiently spy like for her enjoyment.

"Thank you." Sousuke told the woman after she had placed all of the drinks on the table.

"Your waiter will be Paul and he will be with your shortly. I assume you want to wait to order?" She asked.

"Affirmative." Sousuke replied with a curt nod. He noticed her appraising his scar and he prayed inwardly that Urd didn't leap over the table and crush her between her palms.

Reading his mind, Urd scooted closer to Sousuke and pressed her face up against his scar, cheek to cheek, before twisting lightly and kissing the old wound. Her eyes locked with the door woman and the dangerous look she shot her most likely scared her away.

"Excuse me. As I said Paul will be with you." The door woman spoke hurriedly before scampering off and back towards her podium.

"Tramp." Urd hissed under her breath as she stared daggers at the back of her head.

"Sweet heart. You don't know what kind of girl she is. She probably thinks I am ugly." Sousuke spoke softly to Urd.

"I read minds. I know what she was thinking. She's lucky I don't jump over this table." Urd hissed before placing one arm around Sousuke and using the other hand to crack the cap off of the Sake. She then lifted the bottle whole into the air and quaffed a deep drink of the beverage.

"I love you." Sousuke whispered into her ear before kissing her earlobe.

Urd practically melted as she nearly dropped the bottle in her hand. The table grew silent as Skuld, Belldandy, and Keiichi all turned to look at the couple.

Sousuke grew quickly self conscious as he wondered how to interpret the looks from his friends. He noticed quickly that Urd hadn't yet confirmed her love for him as well and he wondered if she were too embarrassed or ashamed to tell him she loved him in public.

"I love you." Urd quickly spoke before placing the bottle down on the table. She then kissed him on the cheek and turned to look at Belldandy. "I love Sousuke." She spoke forcefully.

Belldandy only stared impassively for a moment before cracking a tiny smile. "I know." She spoke almost sadly before picking up her soda and downing the half-glass in nearly one quick drink.

"Uhhh." Keiichi offered lamely as he watched Belldandy take nearly 4 shots worth of coca-cola in a single go. "Don't you think it's a little early to start drinking the hard stuff?" He inquired in an attempt to sound playful.

"Not tonight. No." Belldandy replied with a smile. She then motioned to one of the waiters near by for a refill.

Sousuke made eye contact with Urd with an inquiring look but she only reached out to cup his face in her palm for a moment with a look that told him now was not the time to ask questions.

"Orange juice is the best spy drink ever." Skuld piped up from her seat as she tried to lighten the mood.

"I agree." Sousuke spoke up as he leaned forward to get a better look at the young Goddess. He realized she had put on sun glasses and a fedora hat at some point and was attempting to look "inconspicuous". She was failing miserably.

"Where did you get that hat?" Urd asked as she too began to look at the young Goddess.

"Spy business. Need to know basis." Skuld replied quickly with a flippant wave of her hand.

Sousuke erupted into laughter so hard that it caused every one at the table to jump. He placed one hand on his forehead and the other on his stomach as his face contorted into pure mirth. It appeared he wouldn't be able to stop laughing before he finally calmed himself down enough to wipe at his eyes.

"That was the best answer I have ever heard." Sousuke grinned before offering a high five past Belldandy and towards Skuld.

Skuld grinned madly before returning the gesture as she leaned nearly into Keiichi's lap in order to reach Sousuke's hand.

"Need to know." Sousuke spoke softly before chuckling a few more times.

"I don't get it." Urd spoke with a confused visage on her face.

Before Sousuke could segue into a lengthy tirade about Op-Sec, Data Protection Protocols, and other miscellaneous topics a commotion near one of the window seats drew every ones attention.

"Holy Mother of God!" a young man called out as he stood in his seat and placed his forehead against the glass. "That's a Ferrari!" He continued as more and more individuals began to crane their head to see what was going on.

"Mother of God-DESS." Skuld emphasized to no one particular. She was studying her silver ware intently as she and the rest of the table ignored the commotion.

"She's here." Belldandy spoke ominously as Keiichi took a deep gulp of air.

As if on queue the front door swung open forcefully causing the young woman holding the handle to stumble out into the foyer. Hild and Marller stepped into the room and surveyed the area around them.

Hild was wearing a scandalous outfit that left little to the imagination. The entire center of the dress was open with an invisible method of strapping keeping it from bursting open to reveal her naked form. It clung to her body dangerously as it practically lit the room with it's bright hues of red and gold.

Marller wore a simple sleeveless black dress that had it been two toned would have looked similar to Urd's. Both of the Demons wore stiletto high heels and an almost gaudy amount of jewelry in their hair and over their wrists, ankles, and fingers.

"Urd my love!" Hild screamed out as she ignored the service people at the front of the restaurant. "How is my future son in law?" She laughed as she and Marller glided purposefully towards the back of the restaurant.

Every head turned as she clattered and clanked with every step. The heavy gold, diamond, and ruby jewelry made her glow like a disco ball under the harsh light. Even Marller, although noticeably less laden than Hild, made quite the racket as she walked.

"Limiters." Urd spoke softly to Sousuke. "I guess she is trying to make amends for breaking your arm." She hissed.

"Sousuke hunny!" Hild cried out as she reached the booth. "How is the arm?" She inquired with a look of care on her face.

"Well enough." Sousuke replied before motioning for Skuld to extricate herself from her spot. He then shimmied around the seat until he could stand with Skuld before the Demoness.

"It's good to see you Hild." He spoke before offering her a hug cautiously.

"Call me mom!" She cried out joyfully before wrapping her arms around him. She froze for a moment before giving him an extremely gentle embrace. "Hugs for Sousuke." She ordered before pointing at Marller.

Marller grimaced before taking a step forward and awkwardly half hugging and semi back patting the soldier before her. "Nice to uhhh... See you here." She spoke lamely before looking to Hild for approval.

As Marller released Sousuke she ventured to look down at Skuld and realized she was holding a flower in one hand with a wire that looked to lead to her pocket.

"What is that?" Marlled questioned as she pointed at the flower.

"If you have any thing to say to me; please speak into the flower." Skuld replied as she held the offending object upwards towards the Demoness.

"I see..." Marller replied before looking at Belldandy and shrugging.

"Urd sweety; you look beautiful!" Hild cooed before scooting into the both as Sousuke had beckoned for her to enter the seating arrangements.

Urd looked pained as her mother nestled close to her and slipped an arm around her in a loose hug. "Hello Hild." Urd forced a smile.

Sousuke slipped in next to Hild, then Marller, and finally Skuld as every one once more took their seats.

"Hild, Marller; You both look wonderful this evening in your gowns." Sousuke spoke as he looked at the two women.

"Oh Sousuke! This old thing?" Hild giggled excitedly as she looked down. "It was just a little something I had laying around in the closet!" She then turned to Urd and whispered a little louder than necessary. "Sweety, this one is a real keeper."

"Thank you." Marller spoke through a forced smile. She was obviously uncomfortable with the dinner and even more uncomfortable with Skuld staring daggers at her from behind a pair of sun glasses.

Soon every one had ordered their drinks and the waiter Paul had scribbled down every ones entrée requests. Sousuke had ordered a blooming onion and a steak with sweet potato. Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld all ordered chicken salads, while Keiichi asked for a simple hamburger with fries. Marller asked for fish and chips. Hild took some time before deciding on two pork chops, sweet potato fries, a whole onion, and exactly six pieces of mushroom.

"So tell me Keiichi." Hild spoke as she turned to the nervous looking young man nestled close to Belldandy. "Have you and Belldandy kissed yet?"

Like a deer in the headlights Keiichi could only mouth at the air as he turned his head to lock eyes with Belldandy. "I ummm..." He mouthed before turning back to Hild.

"Yes." Belldandy spoke flatly. Her cheeks had tinged pink and she simply stared challengingly at Hild.

"How exciting!" Hild cooed before smiling at Belldandy with an almost sinister looking smirk.

"Troubadour says hello." Marller spoke flippantly causing Urd to nearly snap her neck as she whipped to stare at her.

"What?" Urd growled.

"I saw him today. He was sulking around near the River Stix. He asked if I had seen you lately." Marller continued.

"Now Marller. We know that is a sensitive subject." Hild admonished playfully.

"Who is Troubadour?" Sousuke inquired as he turned to look at Urd.

"Well if you must ask!" Hild excitedly piped up as she lent forward to break Sousuke's eye contact with Urd. "He is Urdy Wurdy's ex-boyfriend."

"Oh ok." Sousuke shrugged leaning forward slightly more to look at Urd. He flashed her a comforting smile and hoped he could show her that he wasn't concerned by any ex-boyfriend.

"He asked if you were happy. I told him you were." Marller continued as her eyes grew to dangerous slits. "I told him you have a new boyfriend."

"What? Why!" Urd growled throatily. "Why would you do something like that?"

"He looked upset when I told him you were happy but you should have seen the idiots face when I told him you had moved on to something more steady... Then when I told him it was a human... Wow... He was furious!" Marller continued.

"He has hurt me physically and mentally more times than I can count." Urd hissed between clenched teeth. "But I will not let him hurt Sousuke."

Urd's choice of words were not lost on Sousuke as a wave of heat and anger began to emanate from him. His eyes glossed and he could feel something in his chest fighting to get out. "Can you expand on the hurt you part?" He questioned as calmly as possible.

"It's nothing." Urd replied quickly as her demeanor changed. She could see Sousuke's aura ebb and flow in a tidal wave of red and violet colored energy. It could almost be confused with Hild's if it was only slightly darker and much thicker.

"Nothing is forgetting a birthday or loosing a gift." Sousuke continued before taking a hard gulp and suppressing his emotions. The raw energy dissipated downwards and into his stomach before a nearly clear aura replaced it.

Hild and Marller exchanged a look for a moment that passed very quickly. They had noticed the amazing self control exhibited by Sousuke to the point he could even suppress his own aura.

"So what do you plan to do Belldandy?" Hild spoke nonchalantly as the food was delivered to the table by Paul.

"About?" Belldandy asked cautiously.

"Well, when it's time. That special moment. Have you...?" Hild continued.

"It's not that time now is it." Belldandy snapped back as her demeanor changed.

"I'm just asking since you have such a difficult wish to attend to. Not nearly as difficult as Urd." Hild continued.

"What do you mean?" Keiichi asked as he cut into his steak.

"She hasn't told you?" Marller inquired.

"Told us what?" Keiichi replied. His courage bolstered by the anger he was beginning to feel over the pairs attitude.

"I'll tell him." Belldandy spoke loudly as she slapped one of her palms on the table. The table and silverware jingled softly as the vibration passed through the wood.

"What do you mean about Urd's wish being easier?" Sousuke asked calmly.

"Well, you asked for a Goddess like Urd to stay with you forever as long as she wants." Hild replied. "She can leave when she wants."

"I wished for Belldandy to stay with me forever." Keiichi replied sadly.

"Which I will do gladly." Belldandy replied quickly before reaching out to draw Keiichi into a tight embrace.

"So what is the problem?" Sousuke questioned before lifting a piece of steak to his lips and taking a bite.

"Do you know what the fall of man is?" Marller questioned.

"I said I will tell them." Belldandy growled dangerously.

"Then do it." Marller pressed.

"The fall of man is, it's a rule." Belldandy began as the table fell silent. "Many millennium ago Angels from Heaven traveled to Earth and mingled with humans. The human women bore children to the male angels and it was discovered... The children are different." She continued.

"This is the story from the bible." Sousuke spoke flatly.

"Yes." Belldandy continued. "If an Angel and a human were to have a child it would spark a war between heaven and hell that would engulf the planet."

"Which means if we were ever to have sex... Hild has the right to kill us both and what ever off spring we may have created." Urd spoke flatly. She couldn't bear to look at Sousuke, she wondered if he would still wish to be with her or even be near her.

"It's the law. The prodigy of an Angel and Man is strange. They grow quickly, they have strange powers, and they contain the memories of both." Hild went on. "In a way, the Angels bred an army of beasts on Earth in order to wage war against Heaven. That is how Divine Providence was formed and why these laws exist."

"I was not aware Divine Providence was created after the war." Belldandy spoke flatly.

"Sweety. I am Divine Providence. I ensure that every wish granted is kept. Do you really think God would have killed Keiichi if he had kissed another woman? No. That is my karmic debt to handle." Hild spoke flatly before casting an eye on Keiichi.

"So you keep us together?" Keiichi asked.

"I control more than you know." Hild replied cryptically. "Damned if you do, damned if you don't, but no matter where you go, it's my price you will one day pay." She laughed.

"Urd may do what ever she wishes when ever she wishes and I stand by her in every choice." Sousuke replied as he continued to chew on his food. The sour mood and painful expressions around him did not seem to deter his appetite. "A good spy eats when she can. She never knows when her next meal might come." Sousuke continued as he flashed a smile at Skuld.

Skuld nodded once before looking down at her meal and taking a deep breath. She then began to eat just as Sousuke was.


	16. Chapter 16

The somber mood pervading the room as Sousuke, Urd, Skuld, Keiichi, and Belldandy made their way back into the house was palpable. The time spent with Hild and Marller was far from a disaster but the revelations about The Fall Of Man were disheartening to say the very least.

"I'm so glad it's over." Skuld sighed as she stepped into the house. She immediately removed her sunglasses and hat and threw them into a corner. She began to kick off her high heels immediately.

"I agree." Belldandy giggled as she stumbled into the room leaning heavily on Keiichi. "It's all going to be OK." She spoke before reaching out to touch Keiichi on the face. She fumbled and faltered for a second before landing squarely in his arms.

"May be you should head to bed." Keiichi spoke softly as he knelt down slightly. He then gripped her tightly around the knees and brought her up into his arms in a carry hold. Clutching her to himself he slowly began to walk but was interrupted as she began to fidget.

"No. No. No." Belldandy fussed. She had placed one hand on her chest and the other one was stretched outwards in a pathetic attempt to halt Keiichi. "We should all take a bath!" She crooned.

Keiichi froze as he settled his eyes on the Goddess in his arms. "We should what?" He asked slowly.

"A bath." Skuld answered for her. "You know, I could probably go for one right about now myself." She continued as she stretched her arms above her head revealing her midriff.

"As in every one?" Keiichi questioned slowly.

"Yes. Urdy Wurdy... Sousuke Toast-ke, Skuldy Wuldy, and you... Mr. Keiichi." Belldandy continued.

"Where is Urd and Sousuke any ways?" Skuld asked as she turned her gaze towards the front door. In the moon light she could see the pair holding each other in the darkness still standing near the $1000$RR. They seemed to be standing with their foreheads pressed together and were speaking in hushed tones.

"Every thing is going to be fine." Sousuke spoke quietly; his arms wrapped tightly around Urd. He placed his lips against her forehead and kissed her rune softly. "Life isn't over."

"Why would you stay? I'm just a ticking time bomb." Urd replied softly. She had cried softly on the way home from the restaurant but couldn't bring her self to shed tears in front of Sousuke at this moment.

"I love you." Sousuke replied. "I don't want any one but you in my life." He spoke confidently.

"In one moment of passion I could get us both destroyed." Urd replied.

"I'm used to almost being killed." Sousuke chuckled softly. He leaned at the neck to press his forehead against Urds. "I know you read minds so read mine." He commanded. "Know what I feel for you and where I stand. If I am to die tomorrow I would rather it be in your arms in a fit of passion than at the hands of some religious fanatic or some other old enemy waiting to stab me in the back."

"I am supposed to serve you." Urd continued in hushed tones. "How can I do that if I can't be yours?"

"I don't want you to serve me. I want you to let me love you." Sousuke replied in an equally soft voice.

"Soldiers are dumb." Urd chuckled softly as she pulled her head away gently and turned to look at the approaching person.

"Hey. You nasties want to take a bath?" Skuld asked with an encouraging smirk on her face. "You know, because you are all dirty and stuff." She continued lamely. She had planned to make fun of them but knowing how unhappy her sisters may be for the rest of their existence she found it difficult to prod more than what she had mustered.

"I didn't copy that." Sousuke replied as he too turned to look at the tiny Goddess.

"Belldandy and Keiichi and I are all going to take a bath. You two can come too. May be we all need to relax." She sighed.

Urd smiled for a moment and then grabbed Sousuke by the hand. "Sure. Lets go." She replied as the trio made their way back into the house.

Keiichi carried Belldandy to the bath area of the temple. He cradled her in his arms with a passion that he had never expressed before.

"I can walk Mr. Keiichi." Belldandy spoke softly as she nestled deeper into his warm embrace.

"I'm afraid you might disappear if I take my hands off of you." Keiichi replied. He had taken a moment to look down into her eyes and his breath hitched in his throat.

"Never." Belldandy sighed as she closed her eyes to enjoy the ride.

Keiichi knelt gently and released his Goddess to sit on one of the bathing stools in the room. He gazed down at her as he stood with a feeling of wonderment. He possessed the heart of the most wonderful being to ever exist and was cursed to never take her in passion.

Sensing his thoughts Belldandy blushed and raised her chin to gaze upon the one man she loved. Her senses burned and she felt as though she were swimming in a sea of haze from the beverages she had been imbibing only a short while before. She wished with all of her heart she could convey to him how she felt. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

Keiichi turned to the tub to busy himself. He felt ashamed of himself. He loved Belldandy but his eyes were filling with tears at the thought of never actually making her his. He was arguing with himself internally about how he should feel exactly about their predicament.

"It's not the end of the world." He chastised himself in his mind as he knelt once more to begin the process of filling the large bathing tub with hot water. He took a few breaths and watched as the water began to flow freely into the rub. The rushing fluids created an echoing din in the room. "It's just nothing." He assured himself.

Belldandy watched impassively as Keiichi struggled with his internal monologue. She wanted to tell him her plan but she was too afraid. She wanted to make him happy and had been spending a lot of time deciding how she could do that. She understood that humans have carnal desires and she wished desperately to reach out to him even if it meant her own demise.

Keiichi, satisfied with the flow rate and heat of the tub, stood and turned to face Belldandy. "Do you want me to leave so you can get undressed?" He questioned as his confidence began to falter once more around the Goddess he cherished so dearly.

Belldandy shook her head 'no' but couldn't bring herself to look at him. She allowed her eyes to stare at the tiled floor as her cheeks began to flush. She waited a moment to gather her courage before extending her right hand towards him.

Keiichi immediately reacted to her gesture. He was at her side and holding her hand in a moment. He clutched it with both hands and drew it to his chest as he gazed down at her. He was without words.

"Help me." She whispered. Her fingers slowly laced around the front of his shirt and she took a firm grip. Pulling softly she drew herself to her feet and turned to face her back to him. "Zipper." She continued softly. She couldn't bring herself to gaze upon him. She wanted him to see her.

"I." Keiichi stuttered. His hands became clammy and he struggled to comprehend what exactly was happening. He had bathed with her and her sisters before but something felt different. He was used to huddling in a corner and staring at a particularly interesting bubble. He had never let his eyes seriously cover Belldandy's body.

"Pull it down." She encouraged him. She could feel her hands trembling and she wondered where she was taking this situation.

Keiichi reached upwards and gripped the zipper between his thumb and index finger. Mustering his courage he slowly began to draw the offending object down revealing her skin. His mouth dried instantly and he wondered if he shouldn't run, dive into the tub, or fall away dead at this very moment. Her skin was perfect and now that it felt completely forbidden he knew he wanted it all the more.

"Thank you." Belldandy continued to speak. She reached up to brush the right shoulder of the dress down her arm and began to shrug out of the offending garment. The clothing she now wore felt so very constrictive on her flesh. It wanted to choke the life out of her. It was blocking Keiichi's view and she felt hate for it. She wanted to scream and rage and throw every piece of clothing around her into the air so she could destroy it with one powerful blast. But she only stood with the dress pulled down around her midriff still concealing her lower half.

"Are you OK?" Keiichi asked as he placed one hand upon her shoulder. He could see her face soften at the sound of his voice and she seemed to snap out of her reverie.

"Yes. When I am with you." She replied still facing away from him. She reached backwards blindly and drew his arms around her. She needed to feel him around her. "Protect me." She whispered.

"Forever." Keiichi replied with only a slight stutter. He hated the fact he had worn long sleeves as his arms draped around her chest to draw her in close. She felt fragile and breakable for the first time in his life.

Belldandy surprised him by reaching down and slipping her dress down around her ankles. Picking the dress up with one foot she kicked it across the room. Her blue and white pinstriped panties clung to her hips mockingly. The final garment seemed to taunt her as it blocked Keiichi from knowing her and it made her angry.

"What are we doing?" Keiichi asked. He reached up to grip her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. He locked eyes with her and refused to look any where else as he placed one hand under her chin and drew her close to him with the other. He didn't want to look at any thing but the windows to her soul.

"Waiting to die in your arms." Belldandy replied.

The sound of the door sliding open slowly surprised the pair as they turned and looked in unison to see Skuld enter the room. Urd and Sousuke followed close behind her.

Keiichi wondered how long it would take Skuld to cross the distance to smash his face in or blow him up, but she barely batted an eye at him. She seemed to be oblivious to the fact he was holding Belldandy so close to him.

"Is the water warm?" Skuld asked.

"Yes." Keiichi spoke up. They locked eyes and she looked at him with something reminiscent of pity. It made his stomach turn and only made the situation all the more real.

Urd and Sousuke faced each other and began the process of removing their clothes. A tug here, a wiggle there, and soon they were standing completely naked. They wordlessly assisted each other in removing their clothes and quickly scrambled into the water.

Skuld finished tossing her clothes into a pile with Urd and Souske's before picking up a bar of soap and making airplane noises as she 'flew' the bar towards the tub. She seemed to be finding ways to entertain herself in some sort of attempt to find normality in the depression surrounding all of them.

"I'm cold." Belldandy whispered as she motioned to the tub with her eyes.

"Sorry." Keiichi fumbled before releasing her and taking a step back. He began to quickly remove his clothes and pile the garments with the rest in the corner. After a few moments he found himself in his underwear as well and hesitated. He wasn't sure what to do.

"Take it off!" Urd cat called from her perch behind Sousuke. She was laying up against the edge of the tub with Sousuke wrapped in her arms. He was laying with his eyes closed and his head leaned back on her shoulder.

Keiichi blanched. His eyes locked with Belldandy's and he noticed even she was beginning to giggle at the absurdity of it all.

"Don't make me get out of this water to help you out of those man panties." Sousuke growled; his head still tilted back and his eyes sealed shut.

Keiichi quickly yanked his underwear down and tossed them away before rushing to get in the water. Urd laughed the entire time.

Belldandy giggled lightly and removed her panties. She quickly followed suit and found herself warming considerably in the water.

"Incoming." Skuld whispered to herself as she dive bombed some of the bubbles in the water with her bar of soap. She created sound effects like that of a machine gun firing with her lips as she imagined herself piloting a Fighter Plane in mortal combat.

"You seem relaxed." Urd giggled softly as she rubbed soap into a wash rag and began to slowly scrub at Sousuke's chest. "Used to hanging out in bath tubs with beautiful girls?"

"You try living on a submarine and having to take a co-ed shower with 30 people at a time." Sousuke replied dismissively.

"I might have to try that." Urd replied playfully.

"I think not." Sousuke spoke before cracking one eye open and tilting his head to look at her smirk. He reflexively smirked as well and went back to relaxing.

"Belldandy?" Keiichi questioned as she beckoned him to her.

Skuld looked up from her Soap Plane long enough to roll her eyes as she caught Keiichi looking between her and Belldandy. "Go over there stupid." Skuld growled causing Sousuke to chuckle.

Without asking twice Keiichi moved towards her and was soon being cradled by Belldandy much the same way as Urd was holding Sousuke. He wondered what had come over Skuld. "Why are you acting so cool all of a sudden?" He asked cautiously.

Skuld cocked her head lightly in contemplation before replying confidently. "Shut up."

Urd chuckled this time and Keiichi simply stared down at an interesting bubble in the water.

The entire group fell into silence as the soft and gentle splash of water became the only noise in the room. After several minutes Urd looked up to notice Belldandy gently shedding tears as she choked back any noise. Urd gave a quick shake to Sousuke to grab his attention and direct him to the sight of Belldandy crying behind Keiichi.

Sousuke slowly reached out with his foot to kick Keiichi on the leg. As the young man looked up at Sousuke, he jerked his chin wordlessly towards Belldandy in an attempt to get him to pay attention to her.

Keiichi quickly craned his neck and twisted to look at Belldandy. "Are you crying?" He asked.

"I just... I know how to solve our problem." She sighed as her voice began to crack.

"What? How?" Keiichi asked.

"You can... You can find a nice human woman. You can live with her and have children and marry... You can visit me on the weekends. I'll stay hidden. So you can be happy." She bit her lip and screwed her eyes shut as she began to choke back sobs.

Skuld froze and began to watch intently as she watched her sister fall apart. Even Sousuke felt a deep pain in his chest as he watched the pair.

"No. Never." Keiichi quickly hushed her as he scooted around to pull her into an embrace. "I'd rather die. No. We can have kids... We can adopt!" He offered in a rush. "You and I will be together forever."

"Keiichi... You won't always be so pure. One day you will have needs. Needs I can't satisfy." Belldandy nearly cried out as she continued to fight the tears beginning to pour from her eyes.

"I could never be with another person." Keiichi gushed. "I only love you. I don't want to be with any one else."

"You say that now." Belldandy replied as she pulled up her hands to cover her eyes. She appeared ready to shatter into a million pieces if Keiichi even looked at her cross.

Urd thought for a moment before resting one of her hands on Sousuke's forehead. "If you ever talk to another girl I will personally crush you between my fingers and light you on fire. Then I will make you dinner."

Sousuke, Keiichi, and Belldandy began to laugh causing Skuld to join in as well in the laughter although she didn't appear to entirely understand what was so funny. In seconds the somber mood had been lifted.

Urd wrapped her arms around Sousuke's neck and drew him into a powerful hug. The water in the tub began to slosh about as she squeezed him and rocked back and forth. She loved him and couldn't dare think of him with another woman ever again.

Several days passed and it seemed that the entire house had gone through some form of transformation. The relationship structure had begun to change as every one in the temple began to find a different coping mechanism for the revelations they had experienced.

Keiichi decided to corner Sousuke one day. He had a question that he needed answered and it would kill him if he didn't know. "Sousuke... You have... You were almost married right?" He asked as the pair sat alone working on homework.

"Affirmative." Sousuke replied. He was doodling an idea he had about ablative ceramic armor for a technology course he was taking. "Why do you ask?"

Keiichi took several deep breaths before finally mustering his courage. "What is it like, you know, to have sex?" He felt ashamed as soon as the words passed his lips.

"It's a lot like sky diving." Sousuke replied. He placed his pen down on the piece of paper he was writing on and looked up at Keiichi.

Keiichi stared at him with a confused look on his face but before he could question the soldier, he was interrupted.

"Naked." Sousuke continued. "Into a puddle of whip cream." He finished. Sousuke then looked back down at his paper and in a fit of inspiration picked up his pen and began writing once more.

Keiichi was confused. He fought the urge to ask any more questions of Sousuke.


	17. Chapter 17

"Sousuke!" called Skuld from the entrance to the temple. "SOUSUKE!" She screamed louder. It was early Sunday morning and she knew he and Urd were probably still asleep.

"Ugh." Urd groaned as Sousuke began to wiggle out from underneath her. At some point in the night the bronze skin Goddess decided to roll over on top of him and he let her lay where she was.

"Sousuke!" Skuld barked as she threw open the bedroom door. "Package outside for you. Someone just delivered it." She breathed hard as she eyed Sousuke and the obviously nude form of Urd on top of him. After a few seconds she simply turned on her heels to face her back towards the pair and continued to speak. "You are NOT gonna believe what just got dropped off in our front yard!"

"What is it?" Sousuke asked quietly as he finally wiggled out from under Urd and held back a giggle as she reflexively snatched up his pillow to cradle to her chest.

"Oh Sousuke, aren't you hungry?" She whimpered in her sleep.

"That's gross." Skuld spoke as she cracked into a sniffled laugh.

"So what is outside?" Sousuke asked again as he pulled a shirt on and grabbed a pair of trousers. "It isn't dangerous is it?"

"Yea it's dangerous!" Skuld replied excitedly. "She had twirled around once more to face Urd and Sousuke. She took several steps into the room, grabbed Sousuke by the hand, and drug him through the house.

As Sousuke was being tugged through the house he could hear Keiichi's voice from outside. Although the voice was muffled, he could distinctly hear the young man exclaim, "Holy shit."

"What is going on?" Sousuke asked but any reply was unnecessary as Skuld pointed through the door way.

"Holy shit." Sousuke concurred. Standing in the garden of the temple were two pristine Gen 3 Arm Slaves, numerous crates, and a single T-90 Russian tank.

"I get this one!" Skuld cried out as she ran forward to hug the leg of one of the Arm-Slaves. Her tiny arms gripped forcefully as she nuzzled her face into the cold steel of the hulking behemoth. "It's so pretty." She gushed.

"Look..." Keiichi spoke as he and Belldandy pointed towards a manila envelope propped next to the turret of the T-90. In bold letters 'Urzu-7' featured prominently on the tan package.

Sousuke removed the envelope from the tank and tore into it quickly. Inside was a simple letter, several bills of sale, and a check. Sousuke began to read the letter aloud as Skuld, Belldandy, and Keiichi all huddled around him.

ATTN: Mr. Sousuke Sagara,

We wish to begin this letter with congratulations in regards to your acceptance to Nekomi Institute of Technology. You are an exemplary soldier who has embodied all that any of us could ever aspire to. It was an honor serving with you and not only do we but the entire world owe you a debt of gratitude for the sacrifices you have made.

Sousuke blushed and fidgeted uncomfortably as the three friends before him gazed upon him.

Next we would like to inform you that Mithril has come to the decision to integrate ourselves deeper with the Civilian Arm Slave Development Sector. As you may have noticed by now, we have made a sizable donation of equipment. An inventory list is provided. This equipment has been donated to the Nekomi Institute Arm Slave Club for use as you see fit in order to foster educational growth as well as build excitement and interest in Arm Slave technology.

The Mithril Arm Slave Club Room will be built in conjunction with assistance from the Nekomi Institute Automotive Club. Due to their similar aims their club room will be improved in order to facilitate the study of Arm Slave technology and they will also be provided with tools necessary to enhance their own club work. I believe you will find this arrangement very beneficial.

"Oh wow!" Keiichi spoke excitedly as he pulled Belldandy into a tight hug and kissed her on the cheek.

"Oh my!" Belldandy giggled.

Enclosed you will also find a check that you may use to supplement your equipment needs as necessary. In conclusion we would like to thank you once more for all that you have done for us and hope this small token will assist you as you continue serving your mission.

Yours truly,

Tessa Testarossa

"Yours truly?" Urd growled from behind Sousuke.

"Urd!" Sousuke exclaimed as he jumped at the shoulders and began to turn to face her. He felt his grip loosen on the letter as his Goddess girlfriend pulled it from his hands.

"This smells like perfume." Urd continued as she held the letter to her nose and smelled it. She then flipped to the next page and the words "Inventory List" became visible as every one stared at the paperwork.

"Is this girl trying to get with my man?" Urd continued to fume as she read the contents of the inventory list. "Why would this human just happen to decide to give you all of this junk? The goodness of her heart?"

"She sounds furious." Keiichi whispered to Belldandy.

"Urd. Stop it." Sousuke barked authoritatively.

Urd froze as she stared defiantly at the soldier.

"Listen up!" He continued. "You know as well as I do that some measly gifts aren't going to sway me from loving you!" He spoke in a manner reminiscent of how he may have done to an obstinate trainee.

"Are you raising your voice to me?" Urd fumed as she clenched her fists tightly.

"Are you just wearing my uniform top? Sousuke asked slowly as he realized Urd had allowed her top to pop open in anger and he could now see everything she had.

Keiichi placed his hands over his eyes uncomfortably as Belldandy, Skuld, and Sousuke began to crack into peels of laughter.

"It's not funny!" Urd shouted as she gripped the Battle Dress Uniform top and snatched it closed.

"It's a little funny." Sousuke replied before stepping forward to wiggle the now crumpled letter out of her hand and pull her into a tight hug.

"Maybe a little bit." Urd admitted as she continued to fight the smile trying to force its way onto her lips.

Some where in the outskirts of Heaven...

"It's been too long Urd." Troubadour, a Plum Spirit, spoke to himself as he sat upon a large mushroom. He slowly combed his long black hair, bent lightly at the waist to allow his flowing mane to dangle over his shoulder.

"I have to have you." He continued to speak as he finally finished his daily ritual of hair brushing. "Not like I haven't had you before!" He laughed aloud to himself. A flip of his head and his long black hair found itself neatly tucked behind his back.

The Plum Spirit stood and gazed upon himself in the mirror. He quickly flicked his tongue over the tip of his thumb and then proceeded to rub the sigil on his forehead, a half crescent with a dot in the middle. The sigil practically glowed as he proudly flexed and posed in front of the mirror.

The cottage he lived in was quaint and simple. It only had one room but it was plenty large for his needs, which consisted mainly of entertaining women, eating, sleeping, or sleeping with the women he was entertaining after he ate.

The hobbit-esque accommodations matched his style perfectly, with mushroom chairs, a bed made of a giant leaf and the trunk of a tree, and numerous other forest like accouterments. It smelled strongly of cedar and fruit and would have been romantic if not for the company of the gentleman who owned the place.

Troubadour crossed the room to a well integrated closet which he opened to reveal his wardrobe. Looking upon the clothing he decided on a long black cloak, a mossy green shirt, and a brown over tunic. He also put on a pair of sack pants made of the finest weave of cotton and silk.

"Urd loves cloaks... So I'm gonna send that bitch a cloak." He continued to speak to himself as he finished preparing his clothing and added the last finishing touches of cologne on his neck and the nectar of a plum on his lips.

Troubadour took a few deep breaths as he looked around his home. He ensured there were no incriminating pieces of clothing left by one of his many "fans" scattered within eyesight of the bed. After satisfying himself that the home was acceptable for the inevitable love making session he had planned for Urd he turned to the door and made his way out into the world.

It took him almost an hour at the Earth/Heaven annex to receive proper documentation to allow him to travel to Earth. He chuckled when he checked the box that said "Pleasure" for reason of his trip. "If they only knew." He laughed to himself.

"Troubadour!" A bubbly young water spirit cried out as he made his way to her teleportation device. "You never called me!" She whined.

"Oh yes... Nancy." He began but was interrupted by the woman.

"Jessica." She corrected.

"Oh. Right. Jessica... Uhhh... I lost your number." He supplied.

"But I live three trees down from you. You know that." She replied.

"Oh of course. My mistake... I'll come speak to you sometime soon. In a bit of a hurry you know." He lamely continued.

Belldandy and Urd had combined their strength in the night and transported the equipment to the school. They dropped the gear at the Auto Club / Arm Slave combined research center. It was shaping up to be an amazing club room.

The Arm Slave section stood three stories high and had heavy equipment designed to care for Arm Slave equipment including hardware and software engineering. While the auto club section stood two stories tall and was filled with an assortment of some of the best tools and equipment money could buy. The security for the entire building was very high and included key cards and a sign in sheet to monitor who comes into and out of the building at all time.

The Arm Slave section was particularly reinforced with sound proof walls and materials designed to prevent electronic monitoring. No expense was spared in the creation and design of the entire building.

Sousuke smiled as he watched different pieces of equipment wink into existence from where he stood clear of the action. He would see a short shimmer and then a pop would resound for a moment as each device or box appeared. He wondered what it would have been like if they had access to those skills when he was part of Mithril. What fun it would have been to wink a fully armed Arm Slave into the middle of a meeting being conducted by terrorists. His mouth watered as he day dreamed of the carnage he could have exacted.

"Enjoying yourself?" The gentle voice of Urd questioned softly as she floated upward into view. Sousuke was sitting on the shoulders of one of the magnificently large Arm Slaves. He smiled as her cinnamon brown face came into view.

"Just playing what-if." Sousuke replied. He still couldn't believe how things had changed for him and how amazing some of the skills his "girlfriend" possessed.

"There is a lot of stuff here." Urd gestured about the room with one hand as she continued to float before him. She allowed the momentum of her arm to pull her into a slow barrel roll before returning to an upright position.

"You know the best part? Sousuke questioned.

"Hmmm?" Urd replied softly.

"You are here. That is the best part." Sousuke chuckled. "I wish Keiichi could have seen this tonight. But I guess homework is more important than watching boxes appear out of thin air..." Sousuke sighed before leaning back against the adamantium shell of the Arm Slave and reached out with one arm to beckon Urd to him.

"Tragic." Urd cooed as she floated down into his arms. "Pure tragedy." She sighed contently as he wrapped his arms around her. She released the magic that levitated her and leaned hard into him. He cradled her against his chest and dipped his face down to nuzzle her hair.

"Thank you for the help." He spoke softly. His voice broke the silence of the empty building.

"It was my pleasure to serve you." Urd replied. She could smell burning ozone. She knew the smell from her melding with Sousuke; it was what a rail gun smelled like after a long fight. She inhaled deeply before tilting her head to the side and pulling some of his shirt into her mouth. She nibbled on the cloth as she closed her eyes.

Sousuke chuckled as he looked down at Urd. His normally stern face slackened and he watched as she nibbled softly on a tuft of his shirt. He sighed, took a deep breath, and relaxed. His hands moved of their own volition, one hand cupping her butt and another rising to stroke her hair. She smiled a little, released the cloth from her teeth, and leaned upwards to kiss him.

Belldandy hummed a tune to herself as she glided about the temple she called home. Her fingers wiggled occasionally to banish dirt and other offending items. She kept the place spotless and enjoyed knowing how useful she was to her dear Keiichi. "A clean home is a happy home." She giggled.

Something caught her attention. A feeling more than anything she saw. Looking to her left and down the hallway she felt someone in Urd's room. "Urd?" She called out. She didn't hear a reply. Taking a few steps forward she listened hard. A scuffling noise.

Belldandy stepped slowly towards Urds door. Seeing it slightly ajar she peeked inside. Taking a deep breath she slammed the door open and gazed angrily at the surprised plum spirit. She felt rage building up inside her as she fought to keep her normal composure.

"Hello Belldandy." Troubadour chuckled nervously as his left hand moved to his forehead and he removed the pair of Urd's panties he had placed over his head. "It's not what it looks like." He smiled.

Belldandy couldn't trust herself not to behave in a very inappropriate manner and so she didn't reply. She pointed forcefully towards the hallway and seethed the word "Out" through her clenched teeth.

"As you wish." Troubadour bowed with a flourish and walked past Belldandy. A wide grin was plastered on his face as he walked towards the front door. Looking about he noticed Keiichi had exited his room and was now staring at him. Troubadour waved at him and wasn't surprised as the man simply stared.

Belldandy followed him to the door. She took several deep breaths before starting to speak. "Troubadour. Don't ever come back. Ever." She spoke forcefully. Heat radiated from her body as her hair bounced in an invisible energy field swirling about her.

"Now see here." Troubadour began to reply as he waggled a finger at Belldandy. "There is no reason to act like that. Urd needs me." He beamed as he blatantly ignored the Goddesses barely surpressed rage.

"Is every thing OK?" Keiichi questioned softly as he walked up behind Belldandy He reached out and placed a hand on her lower back in an attempt to placate her "Why is Troubadour here?" He continued.

"He was just leaving Mr. Keiichi." Belldandy smiled as she made eye contact with Keiichi before returning her livid gaze upon Troubadour. "Weren't you?" She spat.

"Not without Urd." He smirked.

As if on cue, the television glowed for a split second then Urd and Sousuke were ejected through the magic portal. Wrapped in each others embrace they laughed before Urd leaned forward to catch Sousukes mouth with hers. They shared a passionate and deep kiss for a split second before the outraged yell of Troubadour interrupted them.

"What is this nonsense?!" He cried out as he lunged past Belldandy and into the room.

Sousuke rotated to face the plum spirit head on, his body ducking into a combat stance. He tucked one hand under his shirt and pressed the other out in a manner that left no room for interpretation. "Stop there." He growled as he blocked Urd with his body.

"Just who do you think you are?" Troubadour cried out.

Sousuke didn't answer verbally. He simply stared at the man before him His entire body shook as he began to take slow breaths.

"Too stupid too talk?" Troubadour continued to bait him.

"Get out of here." Urd and Belldandy spoke at once. Belldandy walked past Troubadour grabbing Keiichis hand as she went. Urd stood behind Sousuke as Belldandy and Keiichi stood next to him.

"I'm not leaving without Urd. Even if I have to drag her out of here by her hair." Troubadour replied.

Keiichi grabbed Belldandy and pulled her to the floor as Sousuke broke into action. The weapon he drew from beneath his shirt echoed with a thunderous report as the G$36$ bucked in his hand. His eyes grew wide and wild as he fired round after round. His feet propelling him forward as he reduced the distance between him and his target. He emptied the magazine into Troubadour and watched as his body crumpled to the floor.

The magazine dropped from the weapon with a clatter and he immediately fed a fresh load of bullets into the weapon. He deftly released the slide before pointing the weapon downwards at Troubadours body. Sousuke took one more deep breath before emptying another $7$ rounds into the plum spirits back.

Again he ejected the magazine and reloaded the pistol. "Wrong answer." Sousuke spoke aloud.


	18. Chapter 18

Belldandy opened her eyes slowly. Her gaze fell upon the heels of the rage full soldier standing above the crumpled body of Troubadour. She allowed her eyes to slowly glide up Sousukes body until they fell upon the still smoking weapon pointed downwards. "Mr. Keiichi." Belldandy spoke softly as she allowed her hand to grope until it found his warm shoulder.

Keiichi blinked several times as he opened and closed his mouth exaggeratedly. He was trying to clear his ear canals as they were still ringing. "Are you OK?" He asked as he reached up to his shoulder and grabbed onto Belldandy's hand.

"I am fine Mr. Keiichi." Belldandy replied. She began to stand. Her head turned eventually making eye contact with Urd. Belldandy gave a furtive grimace towards her sister who held only a stony face of distant abstraction. She looked as though she were gazing upon something more like an odd mushroom in the forest, or a strangely colored flower, than the brutal scene that had only moments before played out before them all.

Urd took a step forward. Slowly. Tentatively. She took several more strides more urgently until she was standing beside Sousuke. "Sousuke." She spoke softly. Her hand reaching out on its own accord to caress his shoulder. He didn't flinch when she touched him and she grew bolder. She allowed her fingers to wrap around him as she tugged softly, drawing him towards her.

The gentle touch of Urd snapped Sousuke back to his senses and he immediately placed the back of his hand against her stomach. He took several steps back guiding her with the outstretched hand gripping the weapon until they were at a more comfortable distance from the body of Troubadour. "Urd." He growled.

"Yes?" She replied hesitantly.

"Tell Skuld to stay away from him." He replied.

Urd looked up to drop her gaze on Skuld. Skuld had meandered over to the crumpled mass that was once Troubadour. Skuld kicked him several times with the toe of her foot. "THIS is what happens to people who mess with my sisters." She spoke softly. "You shouldn't have messed with my family..." What ever she had else to say was cut short as Troubadours hand launched out and grabbed her ankle. "It's alive!" she cried out in surprise before tumbling backwards onto the floor.

Sousuke dashed forward, he hefted his foot up and stomped downwards. Troubadours forearm snapped cleanly in half with a loud crack as it bent oddly. The fingers released their grip and Skuld scrambled backwards. Sousuke took the opportunity to lash out with a kick but found his leg frozen in mid air. Troubadour had caught his leg with his other hand and was slowly pulling himself to his feet.

"That..." He breathed as he shook his broken arm and it snapped back into place. "Hurt." He tossed Sousuke across the room towards Urd. The soldier crashed into her and the pair flew backwards through the wall into the other room. The only evidence they had been in the room was the now loose pistol on the floor and a large hole in the wall.

"Urd!" Belldandy and Keiichi cried out in unison. Keiichi crawled on his hands and knees to the weapon on the floor and pointed it threateningly at the plum spirit. "I'll... I'll..." He stuttered.

"Shoot me?" Troubadour scoffed. "Worked out well for the moron. Didn't it?" He chided.

Keiichi struggled with the weapon, his hands shook as he fought to pull the trigger. After a few moments he looked down and realized the weapon must be empty. The slide was locked back and there didn't look like any bullets were inside the chamber or the bits he could see. After a few moments of contemplation he chucked the weapon at the plum spirit with all his might.

Troubadour caught the weapon in mid flight and let it drop to the floor with a clatter. "Really?" He questioned as he pointed at the weapon.

"Leave!" Keiichi commanded. He hoped that he looked more intimidating than he felt. His knees were shaking and he felt absolutely terrified. "Get out!" He cried again as he pointed towards the exit. He was shocked when he realized the plum spirit had frozen. The plum spirit was visibly nervous.

Keiichi allowed his eyes to fall on Skuld and he realized that she too was staring at him. Then he realized that every one in the room was now staring PAST him. He turned slowly, trying to keep his eyes on the plum spirit while sneaking a peak in the direction that Sousuke and Urd had vanished moments before.

Keiichi gulped hard as he stared at the seething form of Urd and World of Elegance. They were terrifying. Urd gripped the wall with what looked like taloned hands. She pulled herself through the hole in the wall, causing some of the masonry to crush under the weight of her grip. Her entire body and the visage of World of Elegance had warped with demonic energy. It was obvious that she was enraged. Urd was grinning madly. Her teeth were pointed and dangerous. "Kill." She hissed between grit teeth.

World of Elegance was the epitome of terror. Her skin was sallow and pale. The madness that shone in her eyes reflected the evil radiating off of Urd. World of Elegance radiated thick tentacles of blue and purple demonic energy. The tendrils raved madly about as though blindly seeking a victim. However, a single tendril hung loosely to the ground. After a few moments that arm yanked the still and motionless body of Sousuke into the room by the left leg. His body crumpled on the floor as though he were a toy dragged by an obstinate child.

"Mr. Sousuke!" Belldandy cried out for a moment before placing a hand over her mouth. She looked panicked and didn't waste any time in grabbing Keiichi and pulling him backwards.

"What is wrong with 'Elle?" Skuld cried out. "Urd! Snap out of it!" She pleaded as she clasped her hands into a prayer position. She leaned forward and cried as the horrible scene before her became too much to handle. "Let him go 'Elle!" Skuld pleaded.

"Blood." Urd hissed. Her tongue began to extend from her mouth as her sharp pointed teeth parted. World of Elegance released her tendrils grip on Sousuke and slowly lifted the bloodied appendage towards Urds outstretched tongue allowing her to taste the life force smeared on it. For a moment Urds face looked panicked and lost as though she were trying to remember something.

"Urd honey. Let's talk about this." Troubadour tried to bargain as he began to approach her with his hands extended. "We can work it all out. Just you and me." He continued.

The sound of his voice seemed to snap her back into the moment and she scowled viciously. "Whore. Slut. Worthless. Bad." Urd began to chant the insults that Troubadour had spouted at her when ever he felt inclined to hurt her. "Ugly. Fat. Stupid." She continued as World of Elegance began to heave and rage, the tendrils lashing out in random directions causing destruction and damage any where they landed.

"Sousuke." Urd whispered. World of Elegance froze and the entire room went cold. The air felt icy and painful as it continued to plummet in temperature. Condensation began to form and the ground fogged over.

"I will just take my leave. Come back when you are feeling better." Troubadour laughed nervously as he began to step backwards towards the entrance.

"Don't leave me." Urd pleaded as her eyes locked on Troubadour. "You can't go yet. You have to stay. We have so much to do." Her voice was tinny and grating.

Troubadour took one more step back before World of Elegance lurched forward with the speed of a bullet. She latched onto his shoulders and slammed him into the ground with a thud. She knelt and pinned him by the shoulders to the ground with two clenched fists. Troubadour gazed upwards at her terrifying face as a stringy line of drool fell from her sharpened teeth and landed across his cheek and onto the floor as she grinned with wide eyes.

"Hold him." Urd commanded as she walked forward slowly until she stood above him. She knelt and straddled Troubadour, facing World of Elegance, allowing her left hand to rest on his stomach as she ran her right hand through her hair.

Troubadour gazed upwards with a confused yet hopeful look upon his face. "Urd... Did... you..." He started to speak only to be interrupted by her placement of a single digit on his lips.

"This is going to be so good." She groaned. Urd removed her finger from his lips, lifted her arm upwards, and then struck downwards with all her might. The blow was powerful and swift as she struck him in the sternum. Spittle flew from Troubadours mouth as he curled forward in pain before being slammed back down by World of Elegance.

"So good." Urd continued to chant as she smashed and punched. She rained blows down upon his body rhythmically. As each crushing blow landed home, the sound of his screams were mixed with the growling ecstasy of Urds frantic blood lust. "Don't stop!" She cried out again and again as her appendages struck home upon his battered body.

Skuld began to cry out and plead. "Stop it!" She yelled over and over as she watched her sister slowly tear and crush the helpless plum spirit. "Please Urd! You are going to be put away or sent to Hell!"

"Mr. Keiichi, you need to get behind me." Belldandy spoke forcefully as she pushed her charge back and away from the carnage. "I am going to stop Urd." She spoke with rushed breath.

Keiichi held her eyes with his before a strange movement caught his attention. He cried out as he realized that Sousuke had struggled to his feet and stumbled towards Urd. "Sousuke! Stop!" He cried out causing Belldandy to spin around with a horrified look on her face.

Sousuke was staggered and his entire body swayed for a moment before he took a single deep breath and then pushed himself into a full on run. He braced himself as best as he could before colliding with Urd. The sound of his painful grunt echoed outwards as the pair rolled onto the ground away from Troubadour. "I can't let you kill him." Sousuke cried out. "It isn't who you are."

Urd cried out in frustrated rage as she lashed out with her taloned claws. She cut deep into Sousukes chest before catching her footing and lifting him into the air by his throat. She stared at him for a moment before turning and slamming him into the wall near by. She held him in the air by his neck as World Of Elegance erupted towards him.

World Of Elegance hissed and growled as she pressed her face inches from Sousukes. She stopped for a moment to sniff him as his legs kicked and his face began to grow purple. She bared her teeth at him for a moment before lurching backwards. He had swung at her with his fist and connected with the side of her cheek. She stared at him for a moment with a shocked face as he struggled to present a defiant stare back.

World Of Elegance began to lean forward slowly with an evil grin on her face. She cried out painfully as the now weakening Sousuke grabbed a fist full of her hair. He pulled her down towards his face before capturing her fang infested mouth with his own. He kissed her deeply.

Urd gaped for a moment before her face hardened. She rage fully released Sousukes throat and gripped World Of Elegance by her hair. She then jerked her arm backwards, breaking up their kiss and tossing World Of Elegance backwards and away.

Sousuke dropped to the ground and leaned heavily against the wall. He stared at Urd, his lip bled and his eyes were swelling shut but he struggled to stand tall against his demonic girlfriend. They stared at each other for a second before he lunged at her with his hands. He tried to wrap his hands around her neck before she stiff armed his chest and then lifted him into the air by his throat again.

Sousuke began to pound his forearm downwards rhythmically into the crook of her arm. He bashed her flesh over and over before realizing the futility. He changed strategies and began to wave his arms at her face as though trying to grab her hair. His voice broke and spluttered as he cried out between labored breaths. "Come over here."

Urd grinned wide as her fangs shimmered in front of his face. "I own you." She spoke matter of factually. "I can kill you. I can have you. I can have this entire planet." She continued to speak.

"Shut your god damned mouth." Sousuke cried out. "Shut up and kiss me." He swung his leg out in an attempt to kick her that she blocked with a lazy vigor.

Urd growled before pinning Sousuke firmly against the wall with her body. Her clawed hands sliced at his face as she gripped his skull and leaned forward to kiss him. Her long forked tongue dipped into his mouth and he struggled to push back against her with what strength he had left.

Keiichi, Belldandy, and Skuld stared with mouths agape at the scene before them. Belldandy broke her stare long enough to banish Troubadour from the room and to the infirmary of Heaven before returning to face the carnage before her.

"What do we do?" Skuld whimpered as she moved towards Belldandy. The tiny Goddess wrapped her arms around her sisters arm and heaved with tears.

Keiichi simply stared with his mouth wide.

After a few moments of passionate kissing, Urd landed a powerful uppercut into Sousukes stomach. He buckled over as snot and spittle began to drip down his face. The kiss temporarily broken before Urd buried her face back into his mouth, his bodily fluids coating her face and hair.

In reply, Sousuke leaned back for a moment and landed a hard right hook against her cheek. Her face cocked to the left for a moment before she lifted her arm to block the left hook he threw. His arm landed ineffectually against her block allowing her the opportunity to pummel his jaw with an earth shattering return hook.

Sousuke spit blood and a tooth as blood began to leak from his right eye socket. He stumbled backwards and began to collapse. His mind continued to try to fight but his body was unwilling to comply as he tried to grip or strike her.

"Not yet!" Urd cried out as her hand glowed black with demonic energy. She reached out towards Sousuke and allowed her now ghostly blackened appendage to enter his flesh up to her forearm in through his shoulder. He jerked to consciousness and screamed as she used her demonic energy to heal him. His jaw and face rippled and contorted as he scratched and clawed at his own skin. Tears, blood, mucus, and spittle rained down on Urd as she grinned at him maniacally.

After a few moments, Urd removed her hand from his body and allowed the energy within it to dissipate. It returned to corporeal form as she stood over his shaking form. "What do you want?" She spoke calmly.

Sousuke remained silent as he held him self up from the ground by his hands. His labored breathing interrupted only by the strong struggling snort and spit he performed to clear his sinuses of what ever fluids were currently blocking his nose. He stared at the green and red puddle he created on the floor.

"Say it." Urd spoke again. She had crossed her arms.

Sousuke inhaled deeply as his shoulders lifted to accommodate the air he was trying to fill his lungs with. He then punched the ground with all of his force as he began to scream at the top of his lungs. He could barely see, but what little light was making its way past his puffy flesh was being blurred by the tears and blood. He bit his lip and struggled to his feet.

Urd continued to stare as World Of Elegance wrapped her arms around Urd from behind. She nuzzled her face and cheek into a thin coating of Sousukes blood that was covering different parts of Urds neck. She then began to lick Urd's cheek and neck clean.

Sousuke stepped forward until he was only inches from Urds face. World of Elegance gazed at him quizzically from her perch, a few drops of liquid slowly dripping down her chin.

"You." Sousuke whispered. The sound his voice made was almost alien in his own head. He could barely form the words but he spoke them with unfathomable defiance and rage. "I will have you."

"You could have riches." Urd counter offered.

"You." He whispered again.

"Fame." She provided with a sly grin.

Sousuke glared at her as his rage began to stir in his gut. "You." He whispered again.

Urd began to open her mouth to provide another counter offer. As she began to speak, Sousuke lurched forward. His voice cracked as he screamed in her face. "I WOULD TRADE MY LIFE AND MY SOUL FOR YOU!" He bellowed as his hands wrapped into her hair. He tried to tackle her as he caught her mouth with his.

World Of Elegance slipped like a serpent around and past them before grabbing his shoulder and locking him into a headlock. Her thin and lithe legs wrapped their way around his midsection and she placed him into a rear mount. Urd pushed him with both her arms in order to throw him off balance.

Sousuke twisted his head and locked his chin into the crook of World Of Elegances arm. He caught himself mid stumble and then threw himself backwards with all of his might. He landed on his back with all of the power he had left, smashing the Angelic being between himself and floor. It was obviously ineffectual as she only laughed in return as she shimmied and repositioned to lock him firmly on his back, her legs slipping down the front of his body to lock his legs down and to prevent him from being able to roll over as he struggled.

Urd stood over the pair with a neutral gaze on her face. "Is that your wish?" She queried.

"I... I wish you would be with me for as long as you will have me. I want you! You are the answer to my wish!" He cried out as he gripped World Of Elegances arm and pulled downwards in an attempt to free himself.

Belldandy turned towards the door and began to lead Skuld and Keiichi towards it. "Let's go." She spoke softly. She held a worried face on her features.

"What? We can't go!" Skuld spoke as she pointed towards the events happening before them. She stared at Belldandy as though she were crazy. "She's going to kill him!" She pressed. "We have to stop this."

Belldandy shook her head slowly. "This is for them to decide. Look." She continued as she gestured towards Urd.

Skuld blanched as Urd reached up to her shoulders and dropped her clothes onto the floor. She stood over Sousuke with a judgmental look as her nude form glowed.

Keiichi covered his eyes and averted his gaze as he began to walk hurriedly towards the exit. He stole a single peak only to make eye contact with World Of Elegance. She grinned at him from the floor where she held Sousuke pinned before allowing her tongue to flicker outwards and to taste the side of his face. Keiichi bolted out of the room.

"Come." Belldandy continued as she guided Skuld out of the room.

Skuld continued to verbally protest but hurried out of the room under the urging of her sister. "Are we going to have to get a new Sousuke?" Skuld asked sadly as Belldandy motioned for Keiichi to head to his room. The three hurried through the house until they reached the room and closed the door. "I hope not." Belldandy replied.

Urd lowered herself to her knees at Sousukes feet. She then leaned forward into a bow and placed her forehead against the floor for a moment before stating a slow prayer. "Heavenly Father, protect this man in his trials for he knows not what he requests. I pledge myself to him. Mind, Body, and Soul. Mother. Daughter. Spirit. In hell fire do I make this pledge permanent for all time."

Urd began to glow brighter for a moment before the incantations energy faded out. "I am yours." She stated simply.

"No. I am YOURS." Sousuke gasped.

"Not yet." Urd replied before she reached out and cut his clothing from his body with a single clawed digit. "But you will be." She spoke.

Belldandy sat cross legged with Skuld in her lap. Her eyes remained closed as she held her hands over Skuld's ears. Skuld sat on the floor with her head leaned back into Belldandy's lap. A worried expression remained on her face as she stared upwards at the ceiling.

Keiichi lay on his side with his back towards Skuld and Belldandy. He didn't want Skuld to see the look of horror on his face. The sounds echoing from where Urd and Sousuke were made his stomach churn. He could hear screams that ran the gamut from pure torture to pleasure unimaginable. At one point he swore he could hear World Of Elegance crying out in ecstasy. To state that Keiichi was uncomfortable was an understatement.

The noises grew increasingly slow to come. Eventually, the house fell silent. Belldandy released her hands from Skulds now sleeping form and levitated her a moment to allow herself to stand. As she stood, Keiichi moved to follow.

"Do you think they are dead?" Keiichi whispered.

"No." Belldandy replied as she moved to exit the room. Her expression was neutral as she made her way through the house and into the kitchen. Rummaging under the sink she withdrew a single tea kettle. She filled it with water and placed it on the stove before shaking her head. She then snapped her fingers. A complete and ready tea set appeared before her and she reached out to grab it.

Keiichi looked thoroughly impressed as he had never seen Belldandy use her magic so flippantly. "You OK?" He queried.

"I don't know Mr. Keiichi." Was her only reply as she began to make her way towards the room that they had left Urd and Sousuke in. The door slid open of its own volition as she approached and then entered the room.

The scene was like that out of a horror film. Sousuke was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. His skin tone was sallow and his wounds made him look almost like a corpse. Laying on the floor with her head in his lap was the sleeping form of Urd, she had returned to her normal form. She was completely nude except for the bits covered in blood and bodily fluids.

World Of Elegance's foot peeked out from behind an over turned and damaged table where one of her wings were resting. She too was covered in what appeared to be the violence extracted on Sousukes body.

"Tea." Belldandy offered as she sat down in front of the soldier on the floor. She reached down and placed three cubes of sugar in the cup, stirred it twice, and then proffered it towards Sousuke.

He winced as he reached out and took the mug. His face was swollen and his lip was split. He pointed at his bruise covered and nude body and mouthed a curt "My apologies."

Keiichi looked about and found several scraps of fabric he quickly realized were Sousukes clothes. He reached down and picked up the clothing then held it out towards Sousuke.

Sousuke grabbed it with a free hand slowly before draping it over Urd's nude body. "Thanks." He groaned.

World Of Elegance stirred for a moment. One of her massive wings extended out and shook violently in a powerful stretch before she rolled over and stilled.

"I can't heal you." Belldandy spoke. "I'm sorry. But I can't fix anything with that there." She pointed at his shoulder.

Keiichi realized that some of the caked on darkness wasn't blood but looked much like a black mold. A demonic energy flowed beneath and within the skin of Sousuke's shoulder as his chest wound weeped a blackened wet discharge.

Sousuke took a sip from the cup before shrugging.

"I could call her mother." Belldandy offered but stopped her train of thought as Sousuke shook his head no. A look of pain flashed across his face as he reached up to touch the darkened bruises around his throat.

Sousuke reached up, placed a finger in his mouth, and then looked about the room for a moment. Spotting something he reached out with his foot, drug it towards himself, and then picked up the object off the floor. He slowly extended his hand and presented it to Belldandy.

Belldandy reached out and took the proffered object. She looked down into her hand to find a single human tooth. "I can put this back once your infection heals." She stated before placing the tooth into a small satchel she removed from her pocket.

Sousuke took another sip of tea in reply.

"What happened to your finger?" Keiichi questioned as he held up his left hand and pointed at his own ring finger. "That looks painful."

Sousuke held up his hand and looked. He barely noticed that a thick red burn mark had formed around his wedding ring finger. The flesh was raised and as he noticed it, he realized it WAS painful. A design like a Celtic knot appeared to have been burned into his flesh in a 360 degree circumference

"It's a heart string." Belldandy spoke before handing Keiichi some tea and then lifting her own cup to her lip. "Look." She pointed at Urd's left arm.

Sousuke looked down to see that her left hand was red and inflamed. It appeared to be covered in something reminiscent of a henna tattoo. Her left ring finger bore a matching ring design that extended up by a line onto both the back and palm of the hand. It then extended upwards into an intricate design around her wrist. It looked raw and painful.

"What did they do?" Keiichi asked.

"It is a symbol of ownership. When a human shares the body of a higher being..." She let her voice trail off before making eye contact with Sousuke. She held his eyes with a hard glare. "It's a death sentence for the higher being."

"Me first." Sousuke growled defiantly.

"Or second." Belldandy offered coolly.

Keiichi gulped as the pair continued to stare at each other. "Can I help?" He asked.

"No." Sousuke and Belldandy both replied in unison.

A stirring movement at the doorway to the room caught Sousuke's attention and he immediately noticed Skuld standing in the door way. In her hands was an enormous bottle of Sake that she clutched to her chest. "Are you dead?" She spoke quietly towards Sousuke.

Sousuke fought back a painful chuckle before wagging his finger in the negative towards her. "Just hurt." He whispered through clenched teeth.

Skuld took a few tentative steps into the room before kneeling down next to Urd. She grabbed one of the cups and filled it with sake then rolled Urd over towards herself. "Come here." She spoke softly. Urd groaned but responded to the touch. Her eyes flicked open for a moment before she placed a hand over them. "My head." She choked out.

"Drink this." Skuld spoke before holding the cup to her sisters lips. "Slowly." She poured the sake into her mouth carefully. A small line of dribble fell down the edge of Urd's lip. Skuld used the cup to scoop it away from her skin before refilling the cup and providing it to her again.

After the third cup, Urd held up a hand and spoke. "Sousuke?" She questioned.

"Here." Sousuke breathed out from his perch next to the pair. He reached down and ran his hand down her arm allowing her to reach up and grip it.

"I'm so sorry." She began to cry. Thick tears began to pour out from under her hand as she gripped his hand tight enough that he bit his own lip to keep from crying out. "I lost myself."

"You..." Sousuke coughed and cleared his throat. The warm tea had knocked much of the dried blood in his mouth loose and he spit into the cup before continuing to speak. "You fulfilled my wish. You gave me what I asked for." Tears leaked from his swollen eyes. "It's my fault."

Skuld pointed at the markings on Urd's hand. "That's very pretty." She spoke as she filled the cup. It was obvious that Skuld did not understand the implications that the heart string contained. "It fits you nicely." She patted Urd and tried very hard to be as comforting as possible.

"Thanks." Urd huffed before struggling to sit up. Covering her chest with the clothing scraps she shot an annoyed glare at the gaping Keiichi. "Do you mind?" She asked.

"Sorry." Keiichi spluttered before burying his gaze into the murky depths of his tea cup.

"Hey!" Urd called out causing World Of Elegance to stir. "Get up!" She cried out again.

World Of Elegance stirred and then lifted herself to her hands and feet. Her nude bottom facing the group. She stretched like a seal while extending her wings. After a few moments of shuffling and shaking she drew herself to her feet and turned to face the group.

Skuld gasped as she stared at World Of Elegance. Her left arm, from her finger to her shoulder, was covered in runes and Celtic-like knot work designs. The energy in the markings shimmered and undulated like a living tattoo.

Belldandy turned to Urd and Sousuke, giving them a stern look. "You didn't?" She spoke aloud.

Sousuke snorted before a painful look flashed across his face. "I did not. They did." He answered before lifting the cup to his lips for a second before flashing a disgusted expression and placing the blood filled cup down on the tray.

"Hard to say no when you are being choked out from behind." Urd offered to her sister.

Keiichi stared at World Of Elegance with an unreadable look. "Wow." Was his only reply before turning to Urd. "I didn't know you could..." But he stopped his train of thought when he noticed the unhappy look that Belldandy was giving him. "make such good tea." He finished as he took a sip and smiled at her.

Belldandy frowned before turning back to look at World Of Elegance. "Would you please?" She gestured towards Urd.

"Bye 'Elle!" Skuld waved as World of Elegance began to glow before fading away to enter Urd's body. Urd glowed for a few moments before clothing appeared on her body. Her left arm glowed and the pulsing energy and runes found their way onto her left arm.

"Now what?" Urd asked.

"You need to tend to him." Belldandy replied before gesturing at the now unconscious Sousuke. His head was hanging low and his arms had gone slack at his side.

"I can't use magic right now. Not with him." Urd whimpered as she looked at Sousuke. "What do I do?" She seemed to be filling with panic.

"I will help you get him to your room." Keiichi answered.

"No." Skuld spoke up. "What if you drop him?" She then clapped her hands and Banpei entered the room from the front door. Reaching downwards he scooped up Sousuke's body and carried him to Urd's room. "Thanks for the offer though." She finished with a bit of strain in her voice.

As Banpei and Sousuke retreated through the door, Belldandy turned to give a sharp look at Urd. "We need to talk."


	19. Chapter 19

Urd stood. She followed the retreating form of Banpei as she heard Belldandy making her way to follow her. Skuld and Keiichi decided to follow as well. The entire group made their way to Urd's bedroom.

Banpei lowered Sousuke onto Urd's futon with slow, deliberate, and cautious movements. The battered soldier breathed laboriously as his face contorted in pain for a moment before returning to something more akin to his normal resting face.

Urd gave Banpei an appreciative pat on his shoulder as she walked past the permanently grinning robotic automaton. "Thank you." She spoke softly before kneeling down next to Sousuke's head. She reached out to stroke his hair with a vacant look on her face.

Belldandy knelt near Sousukes feet. She clasped her hands and placed them in her lap as she stared at her sister. No words could express the emotions she was dealing with. Her eyes flickered for a moment to land on Keiichi as he knelt beside her.

Skuld entered the room as well. She leisurely made her way towards Urd, stopped, and then laid down and placed her head on her lap. "He sure does get hurt a lot." She spoke aloud.

"He does." Urd replied softly. Her eyes shimmered with tears.

"He is awake." Keiichi spoke as he gestured towards Sousuke. He had noticed the soldiers eyes open although he looked to be staring off into the distance.

"No. He sleeps with his eyes open." Urd replied before heaving a deep sigh. "It happens when he starts having nightmares, usually." She continued sadly.

Sousuke began to jerk and kick softly. His mouth moved and ragged and broken sentences poured from his lips as he seemed to be fighting off some unknown enemy. Urd removed her hand from his forehead and simply stared at his pained form.

Sousuke's arm jerked out wards as he cried Urd's name. "Get down!" He shouted.

"I'm OK Sousuke." Urd spoke softly. "Every thing is OK." She continued to talk as she watched him struggle.

"Don't! I'll fucking kill you!" He continued to scream as his arms grasped and swung at the air. After a few moments he sat ram rod straight with his arms pulled up into a fighting position. "Leave Urd alone!" He spoke before looking around the room at the people around him. "My apologies." He spoke softly before laying back down and closing his eyes.

Urd placed her hand back on his forehead and continued to stroke his hair where she had left off moments before. "It's OK." She replied quietly.

"It isn't." Belldandy replied with a stony face.

"Are you going to do it?" Urd questioned.

Belldandy didn't answer although she seemed to shift uncomfortably.

"I know you hold a Valkyrie license. I was at your graduation." Urd "Continued. If any one is going to do it, I want it to be you. No one "else."

"Urd." Belldandy breathed as her eyes began to fill with tears. "I don't think I can..."

"You are my sister. When the time comes for them to kill us, if it isn't you, I will fight back." Urd continued. "You have to be the one to do it. You have to kill me first, or I will fight you. You have to try to save Sousuke."

Belldandy choked back a sob before gripping Keiichi's now proffered hand.

"What are you talking about?" Skuld questioned as she sat up to stare at "Urd. Why would you ask Belldandy to kill you?"

"You aren't old enough to understand. It will be done and when it is... I want it to be her." Urd continued.

Skuld turned her head sharply to look at Belldandy before speaking sharply. "You can't kill Urd. No one is killing any one. Right Bell?"

Belldandy knew she couldn't lie so she simply didn't reply.

"Say it is all going to be OK. Tell me it is OK!" Skuld began to plead before Urd hushed her softly.

"Don't wake him." Urd urged Skuld.

"Sorry." Skuld huffed before turning back to Belldandy. "Would someone please explain what is going on?"

"I could use a small explanation myself." Keiichi concurred with a nod towards Skuld.

"Sousuke and I consummated our relationship. That is an offense punishable by death." Urd spoke calmly. "These markings represent the union. Sousuke saved me from becoming a demon permanently but now we will both die because of my impulsive nature."

“Do you remember the fall of man?” Belldandy questioned as she looked at Keiichi. “When a Goddess consummates her relationship with a human, it is an offense against our laws.”

"Saved you how?" Skuld asked as she ignored Belldandy.

"If I had killed Troubadour, I would have been cursed to remain a demon for all times. I would have been a mindless, tooth gnashing, ball of murder, barely able to remember my own name." Urd began to speak.

"Sousuke interrupted you by making himself the target. He gambled that you wouldn't kill him. He hoped you would recognize him." Belldandy provided her opinion.

Urd shook her head in the negative slowly. "He hoped I would kill him." She sighed as a line of tears began to streak down her face slowly. "He made himself the target because I had explained to him that our connection allowed me to trade his soul for mine."

"What?" Keiichi questioned.

"It's the law of two. If a Goddess and her charge are ever put into a situation where one of them could be potentially killed, destroyed, or eradicated, then the other has permission to sacrifice themselves to save their partner." Belldandy explained slowly.

"You never told me that." Keiichi stared incredulously. "You mean I could sell my soul to save you?" He queried.

"No." Belldandy nearly yelped. "You must never do that Mr. Keiichi."

Keiichi turned to stare at Sousuke. "So he wanted you to kill him, why?"

"I could spend his soul, instead of mine. He would pay the price and I would return to my normal form. It wouldn't violate our contract because he would have freed me from my duties to him. When I began the negotiation he saved us both by demanding that I provide him myself." Urd spoke.

Skuld reached out to gently place a finger on Sousuke's arm. "Thanks." She whispered before removing her hand and laying back down on her side to face him in front of Urd.

“How does that work?” Keiichi questioned.

“A demon can only feed from two things. Sexual lust and violence fuel the demons soul.” Urd began to explain. “He provided me his body and I chose lust AND violence. He satiated the demon within and I was able to regain control.”

"So what do the Valkyries have to do with this?" Skuld questioned.

"When the system realizes that we consummated our relationship, an investigation will be launched." Urd replied. "They will come and discover the markings. They will find out if I am going to nest, then they will kill us both. We will be incinerated and our souls wiped from existence for our crime."

“Nest?” Keiichi inquired.

“Baby.” Belldandy replied.

Keiichi gulped hard.

“They will have to go through me and Banpei first.” Skuld growled. “I won't let them hurt you.”

“No.” Urd shook her head before stroking Skuld's face for a moment. “I won't let you get hurt over this.”

Skuld sulked and crossed her arms defiantly. “What ever.” She growled. “I am not going to let them hurt you or Sousuke.”

Belldandy sighed before reaching out to draw Keiichi into a tight hug. She allowed her chin to rest on his head as she gripped him tightly to her body. “No.” She spoke softly.

“No what?” Keiichi questioned from her embrace.

“Just, no.” She replied before placing a kiss on the top of his head.

“I won't let Hild do it either.” Urd spoke aloud. “I know I could kill half the Valkyries. I won't stand a chance against Hild.” She seemed to be forming a strategy as she gazed at Sousuke.

“Urd.” Belldandy whispered her name sadly. “Don't make me do it.”

“Doesn't have to be right now.” Urd smiled at Belldandy. “But when it comes, you need to be the one. For me.”

Belldandy looked down at the floor for a moment before wiping away the tears on her cheeks. “I... I'll do it.” She stated aloud. “Fast. No pain. Even for Sousuke.” She added.

Urd shook her head for a moment. “I'll take care of Sousuke. Just me. No one else is allowed to touch him. If it has to be done, it has to be me.”

The ring of the hall phone caused Keiichi to jump. “Should I get that?” He asked as he began to stand.

“I have to answer it.” Belldandy replied as she stood and made her way to the room. “It will be the system. They will want to confirm the situation being reported by the system with someone with a Valkyrie license on the ground.”

Skuld sat up and followed Belldandy out of the room. “Don't do it.” She pleaded as she followed her sister. “Don't answer it.” she begged.

Belldandy stopped in front of the phone, took a deep breath, and picked up the receiver. “Morisato residence.” she spoke cheerfully into the line.

Skuld stared as Belldandy smiled wide and began to speak hurriedly. “Oh. No, nothing strange here. We were just preparing to have dinner.” She continued.

Skuld felt her mouth dropping as she watched her sister.

“Of course! I will keep an eye out, but every thing is going well enough here. It IS possible it was a computer glitch.” She laughed. “I heard about the Valkyrie picnic. I don't know if we will be able to go yet; but if our schedule clears up, we will try. Thanks!” She laughed again before hanging up.

“You lied!” Skuld nearly shouted as she pointed at Belldandy. “How did you lie?” She nearly screamed.

“I didn't lie.” Belldandy replied. “I just may not have been forthcoming with any information that would be of use to them. They will need to conduct a full shake down of the system and compare the results. We have at least a week now.” Belldandy breathed.

Skuld gaped at her.

“It isn't polite to stare like that. I just think it would be best that they make sure the computer is working correctly. Never know when a problem with the sensors could cause a false positive. Best to know for sure.” She continued before walking past Skuld.

"You are the best!" Skuld cried out before wrapping her arms around Belldandy slowing her as she made her way back into Urd's bedroom. "Now we need to come up with a plan to hide Sousuke and Urd!" She continued to speak hurriedly.

“Why did you do that?” Urd questioned as she looked at Belldandy.

“I love my sister.” Belldandy replied matter of factually.

“Me too...” Skuld piped up. “I'm gonna be in my room.” She stuttered as a thoughtful look came over her face. She then stood and walked out of the room. The sound of her retreating foot steps echoed from the hall.

“I hope she doesn't try to blow up heaven or something.” Urd sighed as she stared at the door where Skuld vanished through. “We need to keep an eye on her.” Urd continued.

“Try to control Skuld?” Keiichi questioned. “I think you would have a better chance blowing up heaven.” He cracked a grin for a moment before noticing the icy look on Urd's face. “Sorry.”

“I want to wake him up.” Urd spoke before standing and walking towards her cabinet. She opened the wooden doors slowly and began to withdraw potion ingredients. “He can't sleep our last days away.” She sighed.

“I'll help.” Belldandy spoke before joining her sister in starting the process of creating a poultice and an elixir. The pair crushed roots, leaves, and various sundries in order to mix them into something marginally functional.

“He isn't going to like this.” Urd sighed before shaking the bottle in her hands a few times.

“This is a little dangerous.” Belldandy voiced her concerns as she gazed down at the human near her feet. She felt a mixture of emotions wash over her before kneeling down to hold his head. Using her thumbs and forefingers she worked his jaw open and positioned his head so Urd could fill his mouth with the elixir.

“I'm sorry Sousuke.” Urd stated before pouring the fluid into his mouth. She began to rub her finger up and down his throat causing him to swallow the mixture. “Wake up love.” She spoke as his eyes jerked open and he scrambled to his feet.

Sousuke gagged and held his throat as his eyes darted about the room. He looked ready to attack Belldandy for a moment before he regained his faculties and began to cough. “What?” He spluttered through his lips as his eyes widened and his pupils dilated.

“It's a healing potion for demon attacks.” Urd explained. “We don't have long to be together. It will keep you awake and help you ignore the pain.” She explained. “I know it burns. Just breathe deep and try to relax.”

Sousuke reached out towards Keiichi who hopped to his feet to help steady the soldier. “It'll be OK.” Keiichi reassured him. “Just relax.”

Sousuke felt his knees shake and buckle but he fought to stand up straight. “What do we do first?” He asked as he placed one hand over his bruised and battered eye. He seemed to be trying to rub the pain out.

“First things first.” Urd spoke as she approached Sousuke. “Take this.” She stated before handing him another small bottle. “I'm sorry but we are going to spend the next day or two wrapped up together until you and I are so raw we can't walk.”

Belldandy motioned towards Keiichi and gestured for him to leave the room. “Let's go.” She spoke as she followed him out. “I think they earned this one.”

As they left the room, Keiichi heard Urd call out for World Of Elegance.

Heaven –

“Just hang on sir!” The healer Angel spoke as she wheeled Troubadour through a pair of swinging doors. “You need to calm down!” She continued to yell as another angel attempted to perform some kind of first aide on him.

“Help me!” Troubadour cried out as he swung his arms about. He didn't know if he could die, but the wounds he suffered from Urd in her outburst made him wonder if he wasn't going to find out.

“Do you know where you are?” The nurse spoke to him as he felt the bed he was laying on come to a halt.

“Heaven?” Troubadour replied through grit teeth.

“Yes. Do you know what happened?” She continued to question. “Did you run into a demon?”

“Urd. Urd attacked me.” Troubadour groaned as he lifted his left hand and looked down at the blood dripping from his fingers. “She went crazy.”

“Urd. Hild's daughter?” the nurse pressed. “I need a full retinue of healing potions!” She screamed as she began to place numerous bandages and healing poultices on Troubadour. “How did you get here?”

“I don't know.” Troubadour replied. “I passed out and only woke up again when you gave me that potion to bring me back to my senses. It hurts!” He breathed. “I can't feel my lower body!” He yelled.

“We are loosing him!” The nurse began to yell as several other angels began to swarm into the room. “We need to stabilize him. The demonic energy is eating a path through his body.”

Troubadour began to cry out and jerk before falling into a seizure. His mouth foamed and dark black spittle began to erupt from his eyes and nose. For a moment he reached up with a bloodied hand and grabbed onto the nurses forearm, squeezing till she cried out, before releasing his grip and falling slack.

The nurse began to administer several concoctions through a needle directly into his chest and an electrical discharge that seemed to bring him back from the fading death that was overcoming him. The last thing Troubadour remembered seeing was the terrifying visage of a butterfly that seemed to have winked into existence high up near the ceiling of the room. He wanted to point and scream but he couldn't make his body react.

Troubadour was helpless as the butterfly began to fly in slow lazy circles towards his face. He watched in horror as it landed on his nose and flapped the tiny wings on its back for a moment. The diminutive creature crawled slowly towards his lips, stopped for a moment, and then jetted between his teeth. Troubadour felt as though his head were on fire as he jerked and shook.

The butterfly was burrowing into his skull. He could smell something terrible as he was racked with burning pain. He felt his throat filling with fluids and his vision began to fade. After a few moments he felt his mind cloud and visions of terrible and obtuse landscapes began to flash faster and faster against the sterile back drop of the hospital room. He could hear horrible creatures of alien and cyclopian decent calling to him in shrill and ancient tongues.

The creature entering his mind had no voice but it commanded him. He heard the screams and cries of millions of ancient beings in total agony. The strange and angled world before his eyes twisted his senses. His mind could take no more and he reached up to his face. Slowly he pressed his fingers into his own eye sockets. He felt his flesh tear and rip as he gouged his own eye balls out of his head. He sought relief from the horrible imagery in his head and the sirens call of the ancient and unfathomable creatures beckoning him from beyond his own existence.

Blood ran down his face as he stood. Troubadour twitched and jerked as he fought to move forward. He could hear the beast in his head commanding him onward. He had a mission. He knew he had to appease the ancient ones as their world was all the future he knew. An empty darkness filled his soul but the images he sought to escape only became stronger now that his vision no longer had to fight between the physical and the spiritual.

Troubadour felt his head turning of its own volition. He felt the strange draw of something immensely powerful ahead. He had to find the gate that separated his new brethren from their return to his world. He felt the call. He groaned as he struggled forward. Two small tentacles began to grow from his empty eye sockets as blood continued to pour out of the raw and wet wounds. He crushed what was left of the eye balls in his hands and threw them upon the ground as he made his way out of the convalescence wing.

Troubadour could hear screaming from all around him. He could hear the bleating bellows of the sheep they called Goddesses crying out for help. When he entered the hospital proper he immediately lunged at the nearest Nurse. She was crying out for assistance. Her voice cracked as he jammed his hand into her mouth and pulled downwards. He tore her mandible from her skull leaving her to wave her arms back and forth ineffectually as a look of pure terror crossed her eyes for a split second. She seemed to realize she was dead only moments before he jammed the toothy piece of flesh and bone directly into her forehead.

The tentacles in his eye sockets lashed out and tore at the now dead Goddesses Angelic being as it rose into the air with a shriek. The pitiful creature was crushed and torn before it could dissipate. Troubadour felt stronger. He was pleased and he hungered for more.

Several more shouts alerted him to the rapidly approaching security team. A group of Valkyries led by a short haired Goddess blocked his movement into heaven proper. He felt something stirring inside himself but he couldn't understand the emotions of the creature that had taken over his mind. He did know he was hungry for another angel.

“Halt.” The lead Goddess commanded as she drew her glaive. The long metal blade glistened as it materialized in her hand. “Not a step further.” She spoke again.

Troubadour grinned for a moment before lunging at them. The shrieks and cries of pain filled the halls as he ripped and tore at the Valkyries. As the battle raged forward a slow and creeping darkness began to seep into the air. The ravaged bodies of those he had killed began to stir as tentacles began to seep from the wounds. The bodies of the Goddesses he slew were infected with dark eldritch magic that allowed horrors from beyond to inhabit their corpse. Those horrors began to shamble and shuffle forward.


	20. Chapter 20

Skuld lounged on her back in her bedroom on the floor. In one hand she balanced a small bottle of milk and in the other she kept a technical manual hefted precariously above her face. Her eyes scanned the page rapidly as she hummed softly. She had stripped down to her underwear since she found it most comfortable when she was thinking hard. She also wore a single white sock, the other lost somewhere under a pile of electronic bits and tools.

"I need $400$ tons of plutonium." She spoke softly as she lifted her left leg up into the air. "Gotta make due with what I have." She continued to speak to herself before lifting up onto the elbow of the arm holding the book. She hefted her milk to her lips, drank the last of the bottle, and then chucked it across the room unceremoniously.

Skuld stood and dropped the book to the floor. She rubbed at her eyes for a moment before kneeling down to pick up a screw driver. She made her way to the corner of the room where a small globe floated only a few inches off of the ground. The globe looked something like a grapefruit made of silver and gold. She knelt down, placed the fingers of her left hand down upon the device, and pressed firmly. The tips of her fingers sunk into the metal and it shimmered for a moment as though she had broken the surface tension on a puddle of water.

Her tiny fingers swirled about in the liquid metal before an antenna like structure raised out of the silvery depths. The upper half of the extension folded open to reveal numerous electronic circuit boards and a tiny glowing energy source. "I need more power." She sighed as she began to unscrew one of the circuit boards. "I don't have much time."

The soft glow of the power source shining a sickly green cast a shadow on her face that made her look aged and tired. She had been working non-stop for the past $48$ hours on her project. She referred to it as "Operation Family Matters". She planned to refine the process of creating infinite space by also creating infinite time. She was going to find a way for Urd and Sousuke to live the rest of their lives out in peace.

Skuld wanted to build a world within a world where no one could accost or bother her family. If this world didn't want her family, she would make her own world, with ice cream and sake that poured from the taps. Who needed this planet? She growled and grit her teeth for a moment as she finally disconnected one of the circuit boards. She held it up above her head and looked at it carefully. A single solder point had broken. She looked about the room for a moment before snapping her fingers and willing a soldering gun to her hand. She repaired the thin strip of metal, blew on it to cool it, and then slipped it back into the device.

She lifted the open arms of the antenna like structure and sealed the device once more before pressing it down slowly from the top. The object vanished back into the rippling metal. After a few seconds it began to rotate slowly, a mechanical humming filled the air as the outer skin of liquid metal became still, making the spinning motion almost imperceptible.

"Time for a test." She stated as she looked about the room. She spotted an unopened bottle of milk that she had sat out, it was slightly warm to the touch, but fresh enough. She placed the bottle next to the time distortion device, took several steps back, and then spoke once more. "Time Dilation. Two Months. Activate."

The globe and the bottle of milk vanished. She continued to watch the space it had previously occupied. After several seconds, the two objects reappeared. The milk appeared spoiled, stunk, and looked like it had been sitting somewhere for several months. "Well, that worked." She stated before snapping her fingers and banishing the carton of rotten milk away.

Skuld clasped her hands for a moment before releasing and then clapping. Her clothing appeared on her body and she felt refreshed and clean as she banished all the dust and work grime from her body. "Keiichi!" She called out as she made her way out of the room. "KEIICHI!" She continued to holler as she made her way past the bedroom currently occupied by Urd and Sousuke.

"Yes?" Keiichi replied as he peaked out from the kitchen doorway. "Do you need something Skuld?" He questioned.

"Yes. Get over here and help me." She stated before turning and heading back to her room. She groaned and stretched as she looked about her room waiting for Keiichi to get to her. "Watch your step." She spoke as he entered the room.

"What can I do for you?" He asked as he stood in the doorway to her room. He hadn't entered her room since they had moved in. He wasn't sure exactly what she could want with him.

"Catch." Skuld commanded as she tossed Keiichi a stop watch. She had a matching one in her left hand. "Is it running?" She asked.

Keiichi looked down at the stop watch. "Yes." He stated. He was curious to know why she would want him to hold a stop watch in her room.

"Go stand next to that orb." She ordered him as she pointed at the time dilation device floating ominously in the corner.

"Sure." He replied as he walked towards the device. "What does it do?" He queried.

"Time Dilation. One Hour. Activate." Skuld spoke as she looked down at her stop watch. It had only been running for a moment before Keiichi reappeared with the globe.

"What happened!?" He cried out as he looked about the room with a confused and fearful look on his face.

"Time?" Skuld asked.

"One hour and some minutes." Keiichi replied as he withdrew the watch from his pocket and looked at it. "What did you do to me?" He continued to question.

"This is for Urd and Sousuke. They will be able to spend all the time they want together in the world I created for them. They can spend a million years in the world I built and only minutes will pass here." Skuld replied.

Keiichi stood aghast as he looked at Skuld. "Is it safe?" He asked as he looked back down at the spinning device at his feet.

"You seem all right." Skuld replied as she stared at him. "Feel all right?" She asked.

"Yea. Was that the first human test?" Keiichi asked.

"Yes." Skuld replied. "It won't work if it isn't in a corner. You need to have a corner in order to build a fulcrum point in the space time continuum to allow any heavy lifting." She noticed the blank look that Keiichi wore and stopped speaking. "What ever. It works. That is all that matters." She shrugged and rolled her eyes.

Skuld pointed for him to stand away and made her way over to the device. "OK. If I don't return, you can't have my stuff. No one can. Burn it." She stated flatly before holding up the stop watch and resetting it. Keiichi reset his stop watch as well.

"Time Dilation. Two Weeks. Activate." Skuld spoke and without even a sound, she was gone. The space she had stood was now devoid of both her as well as the device.

Keiichi looked down at the stop watch and wondered how long she would be gone. He wondered what he would tell Belldandy or Urd if she never came back. His fears vanished for a moment when she reappeared. He rushed forward to grab her as she fell over.

"Not as safe as I thought." She choked out as she collapsed on the floor. She held a massive mallet in her left hand that appeared to be covered in the life fluids of another creature. She sported numerous cuts and injuries and her clothes appeared torn and damaged. "I wasn't alone."

"When I was inside the machine, all I could see in every direction was a vast emptiness." Keiichi stated as he knelt next to Skuld.

"You are alone, for the first four days. Then you start seeing shadows. Glimpses of creatures that aren't exactly aligned with the world. The little shadows start becoming corporeal first. They started stalking me. The biggest shadows, the hulking colossal creatures that towered above, were still trying to become more than shadows at the two week mark." Skuld sat down and drew her legs up under her chin. She didn't want Keiichi to see her cry so she placed her forehead down on her arms as she gripped her legs.

"I didn't think I was going to survive. I hid inside a tiny alcove. I can mold the world, but so can they. I don't think I so much as made a world as I tapped into another plane of existence that all ready occupied the space between worlds." She choked up as she realized she had wasted the last few days chasing a dead end.

"It's going to be fine." Keiichi encouraged her as he placed an arm around her. "Belldandy is going to find a way to save Urd and Sousuke and every thing is going to return to normal." He patted her gently.

"No. It isn't. Skuld sighed as she lifted her head. She dabbed at her eyes with the back of her arm before inhaling deeply. "This isn't something we can just get past. This is the end of the world as we know it." She continued to speak as she used the handle of the hammer to lift herself up into a standing position.

She walked slowly towards the object, reached her hand at it, and commanded it. "Pocket size." She spoke aloud. Her finger tips buckled as the device became the size of a marble and zipped into her palm with a dull thud. She placed it into the front pocket of her clothing and shrunk the hammer to place it in the same pocket.

"Now what?" Keiichi questioned.

Skuld answered with action. She clapped her hands and refreshed her appearance once more. "Don't mention this to any one." She demanded as she leveled a hard look at Keiichi.

"Not a word." He replied as he pretended to zip his mouth with a pantomiming motion.

Skuld stepped out of the room and made her way down the hall way with Keiichi close in tow. He didn't feel comfortable staying in her room after she left. He could tell by her demeanor that she was upset. He worried that he may not be taking the issue at hand as serious as she was.

Skuld stopped just outside the doorway to the closed door to Urd's room. She listened calmly for a few moments, making sure she was interrupting anything before knocking with her first two knuckles sharply on the wood. Keiichi patted her shoulder gently before returning to the kitchen. He pocketed the stop watch.

Skuld only waited for a brief moment before the sound of Urd's voice echoed out of the room. "Come in." She spoke with a measured tenor.

Skuld slid the door back and entered as silently as she could muster. Sousuke lay on the futon with a blanket covering him and World Of Elegance. Urd wore a kimono top that she held closed by grip alone. She stood over the pair on the futon with a protective stance.

"How are you doing?" Skuld whispered as she held her eyes on Urd's.

"Fine." Urd replied softly. She lifted her hand, drug it through the air sideways slowly, and then returned it to holding her kimono shut. The door behind Skuld closed without a sound under the magic ministrations of the olive skinned Goddess.

The intricacy of Urd's spiritual tattoos on her hands and arms stood out brightly to Skuld as she watched her motions. "They changed." Skuld continued before shifting uncomfortably on her feet. She hesitated for a moment before moving further into the room. She sat down close to World Of Elegance and began to stroke her hair.

"Evolving." Urd confirmed as she lifted one of her hands up to look at the back of her wrist. She sat down next to Skuld and smiled sadly for a moment as she looked at her. "I haven't seen you in a few days. What have you been doing?" Urd questioned.

"Projects." Skuld replied before faltering. She stopped stroking World Of Elegances hair and began to lift it in tufts and clumps, gently depositing it to the side. She thought she had seen something strange. Skuld eventually moved the beautiful creatures hair off to the side enough to be able to spot a single leather collar around her neck.

"It was her idea." Urd shrugged as she spoke.

Skuld felt her face contorting as she struggled not to exclaim, pull the collar off, or other wise behave as she may have done only a few days previous. "I see." Was the only reply she could muster.

"It doesn't bother you?" Urd prodded her as she rested her chin on the palm of her hand, her elbow digging into her thigh.

"A little." Skuld sighed. "It's not normal. I guess if it makes her happy though." Skuld trailed off.

"Glad to hear." Urd replied before reaching into the kimono and extricating a matching leather collar. She shook out her hair before leaning her head back and fastening the object around her neck. "I didn't want to make you completely freaked out." She chuckled.

"Ugh. You freaks." Skuld scowled as her face distorted into a look of pure disgust.

Urd fought back a laugh as she didn't want to wake Sousuke or World Of Elegance. "I didn't want to disturb your delicate sensibilities." She continued as she smiled sweetly in Skuld's direction.

"Why are you two, three, so gross?" Skuld questioned as she flicked World Of Elegance with her finger causing her to stir for a moment in her sleep. "Ugh." Skuld groaned. "Other than sit around doing nasty things, what else do you two plan to do?"

Urd sobered and then sighed. "I don't know. We were thinking about having a party. Sousuke would like the chance to tell his friends good bye. It might be a nice thing to do. We could tell them we are leaving on a trip or something." Urd shrugged her shoulders.

"That makes sense I guess." Skuld returned to stroking World Of Elegances hair softly as she began to gaze about the room. "Has Sousuke wore clothes in the last couple of days?" She asked with a teasing tone.

"Nope." Urd replied flatly. Skuld rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

"When should we have the party?" Skuld asked as she tried to move the conversation away from teasing. She didn't have the heart to continue to pester her sister.

"Today? Tomorrow? I don't know." Urd replied. "Probably a good idea to have the party before we are executed." She growled between her teeth. "I have half a mind to try to run. Maybe we can head to purgatory and try to hide there." She thought aloud.

Skuld grimaced as she listened to her sister speak. The idea of trying to hide from both heaven as well as hell seemed a fools errand. Skuld could see the desperation in Urd's eyes and hear the anger in her voice. Skuld knew that Urd didn't believe her thoughts any more than Skuld did.

"I vote we blow up the rainbow bridge between realms." Skuld offered as she cast a sidelong glance at her sister. "We could cut both Hell and Heaven off from Earth. It could take a long time for them to rebuild that." Skuld continued.

Urd looked at her as if she had grown a third head. "We are not going to do that." Urd spoke levelly. "You shouldn't even talk like that. If any one ever heard you say something like that, you could be in a lot of trouble."

Skuld shrugged in reply. The only thing that Skuld cared about was her family. She was ready and willing to do something drastic if it meant she could save those she cared about.

"Shinji." Sousukes' voice piped up softly from where he lay beneath World Of Elegance.

Skuld and Urd both turned their attention to him. "What?" They asked in near unison.

"My best friend is named Shinji. I met him several years ago. If we have a party, I would like to request his attendance." Sousuke continued to speak softly. He hadn't moved.

"Sure. We will invite your friend." Urd replied. She held a blank face.

"Thank you." Sousuke replied. He rolled over, sat up, and reached down to caress World Of Elegance. Her hair smoothed under his touch. He then reached out to gently cup Urds' face. "I love you."

Skuld bit her lip and stood. "I have phone calls to make." The young Goddess exclaimed as she smoothed out her clothes. "We are going to have that party today." Her face contorted into a scowl. "No one says no today." She growled with finality.

The boisterous little Goddess held her hand out towards Urd. "List please." She spoke with an acidic tone.

Urd snapped her fingers and a list of names and numbers appeared on a list of parchment. "This comes from both Sousukes' and my memories. It might not be entirely accurate." She held out her hand with the paper to Skuld.

"I can fix any issues." Skuld nodded before taking the paper. "I hope no one is in the middle of anything too important." She chuckled to herself as she left the room.

"We should assist her." Sousuke spoke as he watched Skuld saunter out of the room. He extricated himself from the blankets and reached for a pair of pants. "I need to bathe."

Urd snapped her fingers and Urd, World of Elegance, and Sousuke found themselves refreshed and clothed. "You don't now." She laughed. "You know, we are supposed to control our magic but this entire thing has become very liberating. Why not keep going?" She laughed a little.

World of Elegance began to levitate. Her lithe form stretched and rolled as she waved her arms and legs slowly. Eventually she turned to look at Sousuke, blew a kiss, and vanished.

The remaining pair exited the room hand in hand towards the living room.


	21. Chapter 21

"Banpei! Come here!" cried out Skuld. She was currently standing before the phone that the household shared. She kept her list of telephone numbers to contact floating above her shoulder using her magic powers.

Banpei rapidly entered the home and rushed to his masters side. The robotic creation knelt before her, his enormous and permanent grin etched on his face filled most of her vision.

Skuld reached towards his chest and opened one of the plates that kept his insides covered. She prodded about for a moment before removing a telephone chord. She drew the chord out and unplugged the receiver from the phone, she then hooked Banpei up to the telephone device proper. She set the receiver off to the side.

"I need you to contact all of the individuals on this list. You are going to call them and deliver a message. After you deliver the message, you will summon the individuals involved into the foyer and provide them with one of these." She continued to speak as she held up something that looked similar to a television remote. The device had a small cheat sheet glued to the back that explained to the use how to change their clothes or summon other possessions they may need using the remote. The words "Party Favor" were embossed on the top of the device.

"Record Message. "You have been cordially kidnapped to celebrate Urd and Sousuke as they prepare to leave on a trip. Please accept your free Party Favor device. End Recording." Skuld tapped her lip with her finger for a few seconds before shrugging. "Good enough."

"Banpei. Activate." She continued before crossing her arms and watching. The mechanized humanoid before her began to rapidly make phone calls as lines of energy radiated from beneath the creatures feet. The blue snaking lines of energy were being used to power chain summoning spells as each message was delivered or not.

Skuld leaned back against the wooden table and watched.

Person after person rapidly found themselves standing in the middle of the reception room that Skuld had magically prepared. The first to appear was Kurz Weber, he was wearing a combat suit and looked extremely confused. "What the hell?" He questioned as he looked about the room.

The next to land was Tessa Testarossa, she too looked confused as she stood in her uniform. "What is going on?" She gazed about the room. "What happened?"

The number of people appearing in the room began to rapidly increase exponentially. Melissa Mao, Shinji Kazama, The Nekomi Auto Club, and more began to filter through. Each one looking just as confused as the next.

After a few seconds, a television remote like device would appear in their hands with instructions on how to change their clothes, receive gifts, and other interesting bits of information.

A large number of rough looking men in military uniforms also appeared in the room, they had been tied up and placed against the wall. Skuld approached Tessa and spoke as she pointed at the group. "I broke up your fight. All of the Arm Slaves are located outside. Those are the guys you were fighting." She placed both of her hands behind her back and swung onto her tip toes in a back and forth motion. She looked quite proud of herself.

"Thank you." Tessa replied with disbelief. She knew Sousuke had gotten involved with someone who Melissa referred to as a member of a "Witches Coven" but this was fantastically ridiculous. "What is going on?" She asked as she looked about the room, it seemed to have continued to enlarge as more and more people appeared.

"Give me just a second to finish getting every one here. I will explain every thing." Skuld smiled sweetly. "Feel free to use your Party Favor device in order to change clothes and prepare yourself." She gestured at the device in Tessa's hand with an encouraging smile.

Tessa gazed downwards at the device that had found its way into her hand. She turned it over and found some instructions. She read them, shrugged, and turned the device over. She quickly located the clothing button and pressed once. Her uniform disappeared and was replaced with a strapless party dress. She continued to press it, and watched in amazement as her clothing switched from outfit to outfit.

The Captain was so amazed that she began to press other buttons. She could feel her face tingle as makeup was applied. Her hair would stretch on her scalp as different hair cuts and trims appeared. She made her way over towards a mirror and began to change her look until she was satisfied. She chose to have her hair up, her makeup tasteful, and a beautiful long red dress that flattered her figure immensely.

"I need this for my fighters." She breathed. The idea of swapping equipment in the middle of a battle raced through her mind as she began to formulate other ways she could use this tool to be a more effective killer. "How do I get one of these?" She breathed before setting the device in her pocket. She hoped it wouldn't vanish as she noticed others around her cycling through looks and clothes using their device as well.

The party goers had rapidly broken off into clumps and groups of individuals who knew each other. Some of them looked excited while others wore thinly veiled looks of terror on their faces. Each of the individuals began to speak excitedly amongst themselves as they continued to experiment with the device they had been provided.

Skuld waved her hand at the floor and steadied herself as the ground below her began to elevate in a pillar like formation. The Goddess cleared her throat before speaking over the din. "Greetings to each of you. I am Skuld, and I would like your attention for a moment." She laughed internally as she thought of how formal she must sound. "It is with great pleasure that I welcome each of you. You have been summoned here today to participate in the going, I mean, celebration of Urd and Sousuke." She faltered for a moment before recovering. "Your presence here is indicative of your importance in their life. Except you guys, the only reason you are here is because I didn't know what to do with you." She spat the last part as she gestured with an accusatory finger towards the pile of soldiers who remained bound near the wall. "You guys suck." She stated before returning to a smile and gesturing at the crowd.

"I see that most of you have figured out how to use your Party Favor. Those of you that have not should R T F M." She pantomimed turning an object over in her hand and pointed down into the palm of her hand. A moment later Skuld rubbed at her wrist with a pained look. The amount of magic she had used had taxed her severely and since she still wore limiters, she could feel the damage it was doing to her body.

"Refreshments will be served shortly. Please feel free to mingle. Urd and Sousuke will be with you all shortly." She finished before jumping down off of the raised pillar and moving towards the exit. A pained look creased her face as she made it to the hallway.

"What is happening? Belldandy questioned as she met Skuld at the door. She looked surprised as she looked over the young Goddesses shoulder into the room of people. "Did you summon them all here?" She queried.

"We are having a party for Urd and Sousuke." Skuld replied defiantly. She almost dared Belldandy to engage her as she puffed up as large as she felt she could muster.

Belldandy smiled softly. "Oh my! I should prepare refreshments for every one." She mustered the effort to perk up and began to gesticulate with her finger tips as she summoned drinks, food, and all of the accouterments necessary for a party. "If you see Keiichi, please tell him to meet me in the party room." She asked Skuld sweetly as she walked past her.

"Will do." Skuld replied as she steadied herself on the wall. She breathed hard before steeling herself and making her way forwards in order to gather the other members of her family.

"Hey guys." Shinji Kazama proffered as he approached Kurz and Melissa. He seemed trepid as he waved at them.

"Hey." Melissa replied. She was now sporting a Chinese Cheongsam with her hair up as well. "What's going on Shinji? We haven't seen you in a long time." She continued.

"Yea. School. So do you guys know what is happening?" Shinji inquired. The young man gestured around the room with his hands in order to emphasize the strangeness of the situation he had discovered himself in. "One minute I am working on homework between rounds of playing Arm Slave Killer 2000 and the next I am here."

Kurz snorted with delight. "Sousuke is banging some Witch or Goddess or something." He cackled with glee as he rapidly pressed buttons on his remote causing himself to momentarily appear like some kind of gaudy panderer. His purple suit and gold cane hurt eyes as people began to look at him. He pressed the button a few more times before deciding on a tuxedo under the narrowed eyes of Melissa Mao.

"Oh wow." Shinji replied. He gazed down at the device in his hand and began to change clothes as well. He finally decided on a button up shirt and a pair of nice dress slacks. He noticed the well stocked bar that appeared and pointed at it. "Any one for a drink?" He asked.

"Me!" Melissa exclaimed as she rocketed forward while gesturing towards the bar with a military hand sign for 'approach'. Her arm bent at the elbow with her hand flat, she made a chopping motion upwards from the waist.

The group made their way to the bar. A strange robot rose as they approached, his giant beaming smile and "Banpei" name tag was disarming. "May I take your order?" The machine spoke in a mechanical tone.

"Hennessy. In a glass. Cold." Melissa spoke.

"Ditto." Kurz grinned.

"Me too." Shinji shrugged as he had never drank.

"Belay that last order." Tessa spoke. "Sorry. I don't think you can hang with the soldiers." She continued. "Mix our drink with coke." She raised two fingers and looked at Shinji as he nodded at her with a relieved look.

"I'll take one as well." An aristocratic feminine voice spoke as a beautiful woman approached. "Mishima. Sayoko Mishima" She offered her name as she approached the group of soldiers.

Kurz grinned wide as he spied the woman. He reached towards the drinks being piled up by Banpei and extended the glass to the woman. "Kurz Weber." He offered back as he handed her the glass.

Mao rolled her eyes at the antics of Kurz. She bristled however as she watched the woman smile and saddle up closer to Kurz. "Melissa Mao." She growled as she extended her hand, a sharp look in her eyes.

"Ouch." Sayoko exclaimed as she winced and smiled at the woman. She had extended her hand and regretted it immediately. She wondered if this was what it felt like when you put your hand in a bear trap.

Melissa smiled threateningly with a dangerous glint in her eye. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She continued before releasing her grip and thrusting the young girls hand down and away.

"The pleasure is all mine." Sayoko replied with a placating grin. She understood that this was not a fight she should engage in. Melissa Mao was not a person who would be easily intimidated as someone like Belldandy may have been. Her self confidence and the dangerous glint in her eyes told Sayoko everything she needed to know.

It was at that moment that Shinji exclaimed aloud. "Sousuke!" He positively beamed as the young man rushed forward to grab his hand and pull him into a back patting hug. "It's been forever." He continued.

Sousuke returned the affection with a pat of his own before releasing and stepping back to stand beside Urd. "This is Urd." He introduced the Goddess with a warm smile and a loving gesture towards her. His smile looked almost frightening as he seemed to grimace and bear his teeth more than grin. The protective stance he held near the woman told Shinji more than words.

Urd flipped her hair with her hand before extending the other towards Shinji. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She spoke graciously as she fluttered her eye lashes and pressed her chest out.

Sayoko rolled her eyes as she watched Urd. "Yes Urd, we all know, you are beautiful." She spoke exasperatedly. Urd shot her a chagrined smirk as Melissa Mao snorted.

"Maybe we will get along." Mao piped up as she smirked at Sayoko.

"Drink?" Kurz questioned as he held up his glass and swished the dark liquid around. He looked pointedly at Sousuke as he pointed at the glass with his other hand.

Sousuke extended his hand towards Banpei and pointed. The robot handed him a bottle of sake which he passed to Urd before extending his hand again. He took a bottle of Hennessy and a glass before motioning with the bottle toward a row of tables. "Shall we?" He inquired.

The group made their way towards the tables. Sousuke, Kurz, and Shinji began to move the tables out of the way as they made a circle with the chairs. Each of them taking their place on a seat, with Urd taking her place in Sousukes' lap. He poured the amber liquid from his bottle into the glass and sat the bottle down on the ground before placing his free hand around Urds waist.

"So what is this all about?" Shinji inquired as he took a dainty sip of his cocktail. He raised the glass towards Tessa and bowed his head lightly to signal his appreciation in helping him decide on the drink.

She smiled in return.

The group in their entirety turned their gaze on Sousuke and Urd. Their questioning looks were mixed with equal parts curiosity as well as worry. The sound of glasses clinking filled the air as others milled about around them.

Sousuke looked down towards the ground and sighed. He seemed to be thinking before lifting his glass to his lips and taking a deep swig. He held the liquor in his mouth for a moment before swallowing. The strong liquid didn't even cause his forehead to crease as he had taken to drinking when ever he felt particularly poorly.

Urd felt the need to protect Sousuke and began to speak. Just as she opened her mouth she felt him squeeze her side stiffly. He looked at her before shaking his head in the negative. "It's OK." He stated.

"We are going to die." He spoke aloud with resolve in his voice. "Mistakes were made." He swished his glass for a moment before downing the rest in a single gulp. He placed the glass on the floor and made eye contact with Tessa. Reaching down he gripped Urd's wrist and raised her hand to show her sleeve like tattoo.

Shinji smiled disbelievingly before taking a sip. "Ha. Ha." He rolled his eyes as he gestured to the Goddess. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"Oh Sousuke." Tessa and Mao breathed in unison. Their knowledge of Sousuke much deeper than most, they knew without a doubt that he was in trouble and any thing he said would undoubtedly be without jest.

"What happened?" Tessa inquired softly. She leaned forward to lay eyes on the intricate designs that covered the Goddesses arm and hand. "What did you do?" She growled accusingly at Urd.

"It was my fault. Not hers." Sousuke replied with finality.

Urd was not amused as she looked back at Sousuke. "It takes two to tango soldier boy." She barked back.

"Regardless. There is no room for casting blame. We shared what amounts to an illegal union." Sousuke spoke.

"Numerous times." Urd interrupted causing Sousuke to smirk as he cast his gaze on her.

"Numerous times." He confirmed before turning his eyes back on the group. "What we did is punishable by death in her world. This is our last great good bye." He reached down and picked up his glass and bottle, refilled them, and then proffered the bottle to Kurz as he extended his hand towards Sousuke."

Kurz lifted the bottle to his lips and took several deep drafts, grimaced, and then took one more drink before passing the bottle to Mao who took a deep swig as well. The soldiers barely even blinked as they drank from the bottle straight.

Shinji knew now why Tessa would state that he couldn't hang with the group as they drank. They handled liquor as though it were water. He could feel his eyes watering as he watched the soldiers taking turns quaffing down the amber liquid.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrupt. Can I just get this straight?" Sayoko raised her hand as she leaned forward in her chair. "Urd and you slept with each other and that means you have to die?" She queried.

"Sounds right." Urd replied.

"So Belldandy and Keiichi, they haven't?" She made a circle with her left hand and placed the index of the right hand within the circle lewdly.

"No." Urd scowled.

Sayoko leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and let out a long whistle. "I don't even have enough 'whats' for all of this." She spoke before looking off into the distance with a thousand yard stare.

"What can we do?" Shinji questioned as he rubbed at his face. The minuscule amount of drink he had consumed had began to fill his cheeks with heat. His eye brows felt heavy and numb.

"Nothing. Just celebrate our time together tonight." Sousuke replied causing Melissa to slam her glass into the floor. The glass shattered and she stood fiercely. "The hell with that! Who do I have to kill?" She growled. "You point them out and I will split them from asshole to mouth." She continued to rage as she reached between the slit of her dress and withdrew a bayonet she had hidden with a strap to her thigh.

Kurz nodded as he lifted the leg of his pants to reveal an ankle holster and firearm. "You got my gun as well Sousuke." He spoke encouragingly as he lifted his glass with the other hand.

Shinji felt so inspired that he needed to express his solidarity as well. "I will burn this mother fucker to the ground!" Shinji shrieked, his voice cracking, as he stood as well. He swayed for a moment before catching his balance.

"Calm down there killer." Melissa laughed as she turned towards the young man. "I don't think we need to go that far just yet." She extended her hand and pulled Shinji into a half hug, helping him steady against her powerful body.

Skuld approached the group as she noticed the exclamation, she had returned with Belldandy and Keiichi who were currently entertaining some of the other guests including the auto motive club.

"Oh my God." Shinji exclaimed softly as he spied Skuld. "Who is that?" He inquired to Mao as he tried whispering towards her. His attempts at subtlety lost in his drunkenness.

"Skuld". The young Goddess introduced her self as she cast a side long scowl at the man. She felt that he reminded her of a much nerdier version of Keiichi if that was even possible."

"Hello again Skuld." Mao nodded before helping settle Shinji back into his seat. Skuld grimaced as she realized she had chosen the seat closest to the severely inebriated Shinji.

"What's up?" Skuld inquired as she looked around at the sullen faces. "This is a party you know. If you all don't start looking cheery I am going to take things into hand." She grumbled as she looked about. "Eat something." She demanded as she pointed towards another robot slowly meandering amongst the crowd with snacks held above its head.

Sousuke smiled and worked to change the subject. "How is things going at Mithril?" He offered.

"Good." Tessa replied. "We were finishing an operation just a short while ago. Search and destroy. I guess that changed though." She shrugged as she jerked her thumb over her shoulder towards the group of prisoners being held off to the side. "I have no idea what to do with that group now." She smiled.

"Hey Urd." Came the voice of Tamiya and Otaki as the pair meandered over to the group. They had escaped the conversation with Keiichi and gravitated towards the rough bunch that seemed more interesting. "What are you guys talking about?"

Before Urd or any one else could reply, Tamiya broke away from Otaki and approached Tessa. "My lady." He gruffly exclaimed as he extended his hand towards her. "What a visage of beauty." He continued as he dropped to one knee as to be at eye level with her.

"Hello sir." Tessa replied as she took his hand in hers daintily.

"Please. Call me Tamiya." The giant of a man urged as he grasped her hand with both of his. His grip dwarfed her tiny appendage. "What name did heaven bestow on this Goddess?" He queried.

Kurz rolled his eyes as Mao shot him a grin. The entire group watched with fascination as Tamiya did his best to flirt with the commander of their unit.

Otaki shifted uncomfortably before grabbing a chair and sitting down. He fired a fleeting look at Sousuke with a sheepish grin. He hoped that Tamiya was not going to find himself in a ditch or worse.

To the surprise of every one there, Tessa leaned forward and batted her eyes before motioning for Tamiya to take a seat next to her. The pair became lost in conversation as they seemed to fade out of the circle into their own circuit. The sound of laughter and giggling could be heard from the pair as Tessa began to share her drink with Tamiya.

Kurz wore a wide grin as he kept glancing between Tessa and Mao. He seemed almost giddy as he kept catching Maos' eyes with his. He couldn't stand it any longer and held up both thumbs before doing a little shuffle dance in his chair. He seemed more excited about their conversation than they did.

Sousuke rubbed at his face with one hand as he began to stroke Urds long luxurious hair with the other. "I love you." He spoke to her before leaning forward and planting a kiss on her shoulder.

The Goddess in his lap turned at the waist to look down at him before leaning in for a deep and passionate kiss. She held his face in her palms for several seconds before releasing him. "I love you too." She replied. "Oof." She exclaimed as a shoulder shoved her out of the way.

World Of Elegance stood to the side of Urd having shouldered her way forward. She bent at the waist and planted a kiss on Sousuke quickly before scowling at Urd. She leaned over and bit Urd on the arm, stuck out her tongue, and then twirled around to sit herself on Sousukes other leg with her arms crossed. She crossed her legs and stared forward with a look of finality on her face.

"Whoa." Shinji breathed as the rest of the group had turned their attention to the antics playing out before them.

"World Of Elegance." Sousuke offered as he gestured to the beautiful Angelic being. "She is Urds' Angel." He explained as he reached out to stroke her hair. The Angel visibly relaxed as he placed his hand on her.

"Dude." Kurz breathed as he looked at the pair. "I understand why it is illegal now. There is no way a man should be allowed to be as lucky as you." He flinched as Mao struck him in the chest with a backhanded slap.

Sousuke watched as it almost seemed that every one in the circle had paired off with someone. Otaki had wandered off to speak to Kyoko, one of Kanames' old friends that had showed up. He wondered why she had been invited. Tessa and Tamiya had excused themselves and were standing near a table taking turns trying different snacks. Mao and Kurz had vanished. The most interesting fact was that Skuld and Shinji were deep in conversation with each other.

"So how did you meet Sousuke?" Skuld inquired as she sipped on a wide rimmed glass full of orange juice. "You two met at school right?"

"Funny enough. He caught me trying to steal his ex-girlfriends panties." He placed a hand on the back of his head as he grimaced. "I'm not a pervert though. I was being black mailed." He hurriedly exclaimed as he noticed the harsh look that Skuld wore.

"Blackmailed?" She questioned before taking another sip. She was leaning forward with her elbows resting on her crossed legs. She seemed to be enjoying the conversation with the still inebriated man.

"Yea. Some guys at school had stolen all of my photo albums and threatened to burn them if I didn't get her underwear for them. Sousuke caught me, helped me out of a tight spot, recovered my albums, and handled those guys for me." He replied. "Sousuke is a really great guy. He would give the shirt off his back or the blood in his heart for you."

"I see that." Skuld nodded. "He grows on you." She confirmed with a chuckle. "He is a pervert and an idiot. But he has his uses."

"Pervert?" Shinji looked incredulous. "No way. He never once acted untoward any one during school. He only cared about being useful."

Skuld shrugged. She had a strange feeling in her gut and she felt a little worried. She was having some very strange thoughts about the man she was speaking to. She wondered what he looked like without his glasses.

The conversations continued as others filtered by to greet Sousuke, listen to his story, and generally figure out what was happening or how they found themselves in their current predicament. It was some time before a scream echoed from the entrance to the room.

The Goddess known as Peorth stumbled through the door and into view. Blood gushed from a head wound that almost appeared as though she had been scalped. "Belldandy!" She cried out as she rushed into the room. She cast glances over her shoulder towards the entrance as she seemed to be looking for something with terrified eyes.

"Help me! Please!" She cried out.


	22. Chapter 22

Otaki was closest to Peorth as she collapsed. He didn't hesitate to rush forward and scoop the Goddess up in his arms. He moved towards a table and kicked it with all his might upending it and spilling the objects that littered the top onto the floor. Tamiya had rushed over and realizing what Otaki was doing, assisted by righting the table.

Otaki gently placed Peorth onto the table and steadied her. "It's going to be fine." He spoke as he looked down at his blood soaked hands. He removed his leather jacket and his shirt before gripping the fabric in his hands and tearing the white shirt in half. He gently lifted her head before placing the fabric beneath it. He began to tie the shirt to help stem the blood from the wound.

"We need a doctor!" Otaki cried out as he motioned for Tamiya to hand him his shirt. He began to tear the fabric up as he used it to help bandage her other wounds. Her head wound was bleeding scandalously and he wasn't sure where all of her wounds were. He felt sick as he feared she would bleed out on the table before he could staunch all of the damage done to her.

Sousuke and Tessa made their way over to assist. Otaki held her head steady as Tamiya gripped her ankles. Tessa cut at her clothing and began inspecting the Goddess for other wounds. For a moment, Sousuke and Tessa pressed her over onto her side as the two large members of the auto club helped keep her neck and spine aligned straight. After several seconds, the group realized that the majority of her wounds were focused on her head. The cuts on her body were mostly superficial.

Otaki covered her in his coat. "Just relax." He coached as she began to babble and squirm. "It is going to be OK." He continued.

"Please. Run." She kept repeating. Her left hand reached up to grip his arm painfully. "They are coming. You have to run." She begged as her eyes grew wide and puffy. "The sealed ones." She choked out one last phrase as Belldandy grew near.

"What is a sealed one?" Keiichi spoke as he too approached.

"Mr. Sousuke." Belldandy beckoned him over. Her face was etched with fear. "We don't have much time." She snapped her fingers and the case that Sousuke had gathered appeared beside him. She snapped again and numerous weapons appeared on the ground near each member of the party.

There was no hesitation as Sousuke cracked open the case and grabbed the string that sealed the bottom half of the case. He yanked hard and revealed a P$90$ in a state of disassembly. He lifted the lower and upper receivers, joined them, and pressed firmly. The pieces clicked together with a satisfying sound. He started to lift the long magazine for the weapon up when Belldandy stopped him.

"Urd. Coat them." She nodded.

Urd looked surprised for a moment before nodding. She reached behind her back and withdrew a large gourd with a stopper in it. "Hold out the bullets." She yelled out as she beckoned others to huddle around her. She began to pour what seemed like an infinite amount of red liquid from the gourd onto the bullets and weapons around her.

Sousuke could feel the oil like fluid cover his hand as he shook the magazine around and hoped enough of the fluid covered the bullets. "What is this?" he questioned.

"What you will need to kill spirits. Goddesses, Angels, and Demons can be slain if they are injured with a weapon coated by the blood of the holy spirit. I will explain later." Urd spoke quickly as she continued to pour the fluid. "I am almost out." She finally spoke before stoppering the bottle and tying the leather thong to her wrist.

Sousuke slipped the magazine into the carbine and slapped downwards. He then placed the heel of his palm against the charging handle and racked it backwards before releasing it and allowing it to slam back into place. He used his thumb to actuate the safety as he shouldered the weapon and pointed it towards the door.

Every warrior in the room hefted a weapon of some sort before creating an interlocking field of fire centered on the door that Peorth had entered from. Each of them stood in silence as the rest of the crowd pushed back towards the wall.

The sound of a chain striking the floor caught Sousukes' attention and he craned his neck only enough to spy Belldandy. She held a long thin sword in her right hand with a chain that extended from the handle. The end of the chain held a wicked looking spike that she span lazily with her left hand

Urd approached him from the left bare handed. Her teeth were grit and a hazy wave of heat rolled off of her digits. She seemed to be concentrating intensely.

"Let us help!" Cried one of the enemy combatants from his location on the floor. Skuld clapped her hands and the men scrambled to their feet as their bonds fell away. Weapons appeared at their feet as well which they greedily hefted as they ran towards their former enemies.

"I would rather die on my feet." One of them spoke as he took a prone firing position next to Tessa. There was a murmur of agreement from others in the firing line.

"Kurz and Mao?" Tessa questioned.

"They were in the house somewhere." Sousuke replied curtly.

The group waited with bated breathe as a growing rustle echoed from just outside the door. It was a dull buzz that grew louder by the second that began to put Sousuke on edge. He indulged himself in one final look at Urd before taking a long deep breathe.

A strange creature reached through the open precipice. A long slimy tentacle attached to what was once a Goddess gripped the wall before drawing the beast into view. Only bits and pieces of the once beautiful woman remained as though hung on this monster as one would slip their coat on a coat rack.

"Do it." Belldandy breathed.

The sound of gunfire caused Skuld to cover her ears as she flinched. Several of the warriors had opened fire, scoring direct strikes that echoed with a dull report. Several others held their fire in case additional cover was needed for reloads or other tactical reasons.

The creature hissed and burned as numerous holes burst open in its green leathery flesh. The stink of gore filled the air as what was left of the Goddess melted away under the barrage. The creature collapsed in a pool.

Urd began to contort her fingers and spoke an incantation before flinging a bright burning ball of purple plasma at the carcass. It exploded into a puddle of green smoking goo.

"Do they die?" Sousuke questioned Urd.

"They bleed. They die." Replied one of the former enemy combatants as he continued to stare ahead.

"It's dead." Urd confirmed. "It's not over though." She spoke again before a wave of creatures began to fight to get through the door way. Their bodies crashed and undulated as they fought to get over or around each other.

The group once more opened fire with alternating bursts as they hoped the bottleneck would allow them to keep a constant barrage of fire on target. The creatures however held no fear as they simply surged forward using the corpses of their comrades as cover.

"The group began to fall back as they struggled to keep up the pace. They were quickly running out of ammunition as more and more of the creatures blotted out any light that could have passed the door way. Their screams of rage and pain echoed forwards.

"I know these things." Skuld breathed as she watched in a terror induced fascination. "It's them." She spoke. "It's the creatures from my world." The Goddess tumbled over when Tessa slammed into her while walking backwards.

"Sorry!" Skuld cried out as the pair rolled backwards into a pile. The rest of the group continued to fall back as the creatures continued to grow closer.

Bullets, plasma, and curses were flung at the approaching beasts as the group began to realize they were being over run.

"We can't hold them back!" one of the men yelled as he ran out of ammo. He hefted the weapon around and began to hold it like a club. He cried out as a tentacle lashed forward and snagged him before pulling him into the undulating mob. His cries were drowned out by the sound of chomping and feasting.

Skuld watched in abject terror as she shook at the knees. She wanted to help but the best she could muster was to knock Tessa to the ground and scream as she watched one of the humans being torn to shreds by the creatures before them. It took her some time before realizing they had been pushed back until they were pinned down in the corner of the room.

Skuld could feel Sousukes' back pressing against her as he tried to put as much distance between him and the beasts. His P$90$ fired with a methodical and rhythmic flow, she could tell he was putting rounds into the creatures in an accurate manner as he grit his teeth and stared forward.

Every few moments, someone would shout out that they were out of ammunition. Slowly, the report of the weapons began to dwindle and the beasts grew closer and closer. The fear was palpable as Sousuke fired his last round. "Out." He breathed.

There was no noise. The creatures had frozen when the rounds stopped flying. They seemed to be watching and waiting for something. It took several more moments before they began to retreat through the door. The sound of their flesh and tentacles dragging on the floor filled the room as the mass of monsters withered.

"What? What happened?" Skuld questioned as she looked down to see Urd kneeling and breathing hard. She was obviously fatigued from expending her energy in such a manner. Combat could be very draining to even the best trained Goddesses.

No one in the group answered as they all continued to watch the now empty door. Slowly, the echoing of foot steps began to fill the air. The tension was palpable as long and thunderous steps grew ever louder. The floor shook and the bullet riddled walls leaked dust and debris as the thing grew near.

Urd stood and steadied herself on Sousukes' arm.

"Bullets?" Sousuke questioned Urd. His heart sank as she gave him a pained expression and shook her head. He turned to Skuld and gave her a pleading look.

Skuld bit her lip before clapping her hands, the noise caused several individuals to jump. She furrowed her brow and breathed hard but nothing happened. "I don't have anything left in me." She began to stream tears from her eyes as she held Sousukes' gaze.

Sousuke nodded before replying. "It's going to be all right." He reassured the two Goddesses before facing the door way. He watched with fascination as a tentacle thrust its way into the room. The end of the appendage held the head of Troubadour.

"Urd." A raspy voice came from the decapitated head as it leveled its eyes on the brown skin Goddess. "Urd. I own you." The head continued to speak as it moved slowly towards her. "The forbidden ones promised you to me in exchange for their freedom."

Urd felt Sousuke press her backwards as he stepped in front of her and leveled himself at the creature slowly making its way towards them. "Over my dead body." Sousuke growled.

"That will be arranged." Troubadour replied as another tentacle shot forward and slammed against the soldier. His body was propelled into the air before he crashed into the wall to the side. The entire group was pinned in a corner by what appeared to be an abomination of an amalgamation of spirit and beast.

"Sousuke!" cried out several members of the group as he sank slowly against the wall into a sitting position. His head lolled to the side as he began to fall over to the side.

Another tentacle ripped through the air before wrapping stiffly around Urd's throat. The slimy appendage wrapped tightly around her neck before yanking her up into the air and towards Troubadours new body. She gripped and clawed at the flesh of the tentacle as she struggled and kicked.

Skuld reached into her pocket and gripped the time dilation device. She looked towards Sousukes' body and then back at Urd. Her eyes grew wide as another tentacle rose into the air and started to glow as the creature began to gather energy. The beast appeared to be preparing to rip the group to shreds with a blast of plasma.

Urd loosened the leather thong on her wrist and tossed the gourd full of red liquid towards Belldandy. The Goddess grabbed it from the air with a pained expression on her face.

Skuld pulled the device out of her pocket, threw it towards the corner of the wall, and cried out. "Time Dilation. One Year. Activate!" She could hear a scream echoing for some time before she realized someone was shaking her. She closed her mouth and the scream stopped pounding in her ear.

"What did you do?" Belldandy held Skuld by the shoulders with a hard look on her face. She was visibly frightened as her gaze darted about. "Do you know where we are?"

"This is the home of the monsters?" Skuld questioned as she began to look about at all of the individuals who had made it through the portal with her. "It takes time for them to get here." She continued.

"We don't have much time." Belldandy shot a look towards Keiichi with a long concerned gaze. "We have to prepare to defend ourselves."

"I can do that." Skuld confirmed as she reached into her pocket and removed a small electronic tablet. She began to turn knobs and press buttons as the landscape began to morph and move.

"Shelter. Fire. Food. Water." Sousuke spoke as he struggled to his feet. "Are we trapped here?" He asked as he watched Skuld nod her head to the rhythm of his instructions.

"Yes and no." Skuld replied as she created a massive and reinforced fortress using her tablet as quickly as she could. "That thing will be waiting for us when we return. I think Belldandy is the only one who can displace."

"Displace?" Tessa asked as she continued to look about at the bleak and cold landscape. The group, beyond the fortress, was flat and barren. The sky held a purple tint and she felt a palpable fear as she gazed about the landscape.

"I can return to Heaven at any time." Belldandy confirmed. "I have an unlimited license and my power is much greater than Skuld or Urd." She continued to speak. "The rest of you will be returned directly to your spot of origin on leaving. Isn't that right Skuld?"

Skuld nodded before turning back to the group. "I made us a place to hide. The walls are thick. We should get inside." She pointed at a single door that had appeared.

Otaki carried Peorth into the room first. The rest of the group made their way in behind the tall auto club member. "I need a place to rest her." He spoke as he made his way deeper into the foyer.

"Take her to a bedroom." Skuld spoke as she pointed towards a wall of doors. "I'm not a home decorator. There are beds and bathes and that is about it. We will have the summon the rest." She continued to speak as she ushered people into the home.

Belldandy entered last, sealed the door behind her, and began to cast spells and incantations as she sealed the door and the building from intrusion. She turned to look at Skuld as she began to help by charging the door as well. "Thank you." Belldandy nodded at Skuld as they finished their preparations.

Skuld looked about for a moment before asking. "Are we all here?" She looked about.

"How do we get Urd?" Sousuke asked.

"We can't. Not yet." Belldandy replied.

A crashing sound caused Belldandy to spin towards Skuld. The tiny Goddess collapsed under the weight of her magical expenditure. She fainted and fell into a heap as she realized there was nothing left for her to do.

"Skuld!" Shinji yelled as he rushed forward. The young man knelt beside her and cradled her head in his arms. "Is she going to be OK?" He asked desperately as he stared at Belldandy.

Belldandy took two steps back to lean against the wall before placing her hands on her knees. She was breathing hard as she began to slump. Keiichi reached out to steady her as he looked at her with concern on his face. "Tired." Belldandy replied before passing out in the arms of Keiichi.

Sousuke glared at the group. He took several deep breathes before looking back over his shoulder at what he assumed was a bedroom door. He turned on his feels and gripped the handle slowly. After a moment, the door clicked open and he entered the room. He closed the door behind himself.

The rest of the group watched curiously as the soldier disappeared behind the door. The atmosphere was thick as many of the people in the room began to make eye contact, unsure of exactly what to do.

After several tense moments a sound began to echo from the room that Sousuke had entered. A deep, guttural, and baleful moan began to raise in tenor as he began to yell at the top of his lungs. The rage filled sound reached a crescendo before he began to kick and strike at the wall with enough force and fury that it made the building shake.

Skuld jerked awake at the sound as she began to look about the room with a hazy gaze. "What is happening?" She groaned over the noise.

Tessa moved towards Skuld before wrapping her in a supportive hug. "It's going to be OK. Rest." She urged as she stroked at Skuld's hair.

"This is all my fault." Skuld sobbed as she curled into a ball. She reached up to grip at Tessa's arm. Tears streamed from her eyes as she choked on her own voice.

Sousukes' voice rang out through the entire house. Even muffled, the group could tell that he was suffering in anguish as he screamed and thrashed. "No more!" He repeated as he continued to kick the wall. He created a hefty dent in the material of the wall with his numerous strikes.

The sound of his screams and the banging eventually faded. Absolute silence reigned with only the occasional interruption of Skuld's soft sobs. She continued to shake and cry as every one seemed to freeze.

It was several minutes later when the door opened and a composed Sousuke exited from the room. His eyes were red and his fists were stained with his own blood. He took several deep breathes and then turned to face Skuld. "This isn't your fault." He spoke to her calmly. "You did the right thing. You gave us a fighting chance to save Urd."

Skuld sniffed several times as she struggled to calm down. Her gaze fell on the soldier as his imposing figure stood over her. "Urd is out there being strangled by some monster. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to save us." She began to speak quickly as she seemed to be pleading for understanding and acceptance from Sousuke.

Sousuke closed the distance between himself and the pair. He knelt and placed his palm on Skuld's shoulder as he reached eye level with her. "We have a year to train, prepare, and attack. Right?"

"Less than a year." Skuld sniffed. "Time is still moving out there. Just slower. Relatively to us." She tried to explain the concept to the soldier.

"So we come out swinging. How long do we have?" He asked.

Skuld held up her hands and began to count on her fingers before looking back up at him and speaking. "I think we have six months." She shrugged. "I don't know. This place is dangerous. Those monsters live here." She continued to speak quickly.

"Then we kill them. We kill every one who gets in our way." Sousuke spoke to the young Goddess as he stood and turned to face the rest of the group. "This is important." He spoke louder

The rest of the group turned their total attention on Sousuke as he sighed.

"Kurz and Mao might be dead. I might loose Urd. Every one here has the potential to be dead within the next six months. Maybe sooner." His face took a pallid tone as he sighed. "I am going to ask you all to do something that sounds completely insane."

"What?" Keiichi spoke aloud.

"We are going to kill these monsters. Then we are going to break into heaven and destroy every one there. Scorched Earth. We are going to go to Hell next and do the same." He replied.

Belldandy blanched as Keiichi blinked several times in disbelief.

"I'll go." one of the soldiers spoke as he raised a hand.

"Me too." Another spoke.

"I volunteer." Tessa spoke from her spot on the group near Skuld. "If we survive, I can use it to advertise our services. Sounds like good business sense." She giggled as she spoke.

Skuld looked down at the floor for a moment before wiggling loose from Tessa's embrace. "I want to go." She spoke softly.

Belldandy moved towards Skuld as she began to berate her. "You cannot do something like this. None of us can." She growled as she maneuvered past Sousuke.

Sousuke turned and looked at Belldandy before taking a deep breathe. "I'm never going to be welcomed in the halls of heaven. I'm bringing shape charges and a sturdy set of boots. I am going to kick down that gate." He spoke calmly.

"You people are psychopaths." Kyoko piped up as she looked about at the determined faces of every one but Belldandy. "How do we get out of here?" She asked the Goddess.

"We are going to heaven." Belldandy replied. "This has to stop."


	23. Chapter 23

Sousuke scowled at Belldandy. The tension in the room was palpable as the pair squared off. "What do you plan to do there?" He questioned her accusingly as they locked eyes. Their auras seemed to collide and they both appeared quite hostile.

"I am going to solve problems instead of create them." Belldandy replied with a barely suppressed hint of malice in her voice. "Mr. Sousuke." She spat the words like acid.

Sousuke could feel his jaw ache as his teeth clenched. He was surprised momentarily as he noticed the Goddess swaying. She seemed to notice his change in attitude and steeled herself with a harder gaze.

"You are right." Sousuke breathed out as he sighed and ran his hands over his head. "I made mistakes. Urd is out there because of me." He growled as he waved his hands about. "I'm sorry. I don't even mind if you never let me see her again after this." He continued. "But you have to let me rescue her. We are going to get her back and I am going to fix these problems."

Belldandy sighed audibly. "That is very honorable Mr. Sousuke but the fact of the matter is that this is only the start." She looked weak as she shook her head and began to lean heavily on Keiichi. "These creatures don't belong to either side. This is an invasion."

There were murmurs from the group as each tried to better understand what she was saying.

Belldandy felt her knees buckling and sat herself on the floor. "I need to recharge." She groaned before looking back up at the group. "Look. These creatures don't play by our rules. They are different. No politics. No Heaven. No Hell. They only care about destroying every thing. Kind of like you." She jabbed at Sousuke with her words as she tried to impress the seriousness of the situation to him.

"Then we need to start with them. Every one needs to get some rest. We will post guards, start a fire watch, and operate from there." Sousuke ignored her attitude pointedly. He didn't have time to deal with her hostilities. "Who is going to watch the injured Goddess?" He asked.

"I will." Otaki spoke up as he raised a hand. "After my parents died, I learned about medicine. I have my basic EMT license." He spoke to Sousuke.

Keiichi blinked hard. He didn't know that Otaki had lost his parents or that he was certified in some kind of medical field. "It makes sense." He whispered as he looked at Otaki. He understood now why physical fitness was so important to Otaki.

"I'll keep an eye on Skuld." Tessa spoke up as she and Shinji lifted the Goddess up and began to carry her towards a room. "Shinji will help me." She smirked as the trio made their way to the room.

"Me too." Tamiya gruffly replied as he followed them.

Sousuke turned his attention on the rest of the people trapped their with them. The enemy combatants had remained silent through the conversation and appeared to be fidgeting as a group as they felt his eyes fall on them.

Sousuke held the gaze of their leader for a while before sighing. "You do understand we are doing something absolutely insane. Right?" Sousuke asked.

"We do. We will fight." Their leader replied before shrugging. "No one here is afraid to fight."

Sousuke nodded before gesturing with his hands towards the doors. "Find a bunk. Rest up. We don't have much time to prepare." He turned and entered his room, shut and locked the door behind himself, and made his way to the bed. He had no interest in cleaning up. All he could think about was Urd so he decided to lay down for a fitful night.

\scenebreak

Skuld read and then reread the list provided to her by Sousuke. He had asked if she could summon them equipment, weapons, ammunition, and other sundries. She wondered what kind of war he was preparing for as she looked down at a particular request for Arm Slaves that had been circled and surrounded with question marks.

She took several deep breathes before clapping her hands and watching as an Arm Slave unit appeared in front of her. The completely silent way in which the device appeared took her breathe away for a moment.Even though she knew it were her ministrations that brought the beastly machine before her. It towered over her as though it were gazing down at her appraisingly as a human might do to a particularly interesting flower.

The young Goddess jumped with a startle when Sousuke spoke from behind her. "Good work." His soft voice trailed off as his gaze fell upon the weapons she had summoned. He took a few moments before stepping forward and hefting a rifle up off of the floor. Skuld had left them there in a pile.

"It's a good weapon. The M$14$." Sousuke spoke as though he were having a casual conversation about the weather with an old friend. "The bullet is a bit large. $7.62$ instead of $5.56$." He aimed the weapon off into the distance and took several deep breathes before angling the weapon to the side and yanking the changing handle back to inspect the chamber.

"What's the difference?" Skuld inquired as she watched him with interest. "Why have two different sizes of bullet?" She continued to question.

Sousuke released the changing handle and allowed it to slam forward into battery with a satisfying clunk. "Application." He replied. He saw a look of confusion on her face. "A larger bullet is heavier and flies straight longer. The $7.62$ is a superb round for long distance engagements but you can't hold as much ammunition. The $5.56$ is no slouch either but doesn't have the same punch at long distances."

Skuld simply stared at him. She wasn't sure what to make of his discussion and she wasn't entirely sure that the choice of weapon would matter in a supernatural battle. "Shouldn't we just use the biggest weapon we can carry?"

"We should use the best weapon for the job. We need to engage these things and figure out what tool works best. Do we need big and heavy bullets for destroying armor or do we need light, small, and fast bullets for providing sustained fire?" He replied.

Skuld felt proud that Sousuke was discussing combat with her. She felt she wasn't as much help as someone else could be but she felt that he saw her as a adult and someone who had a valuable opinion. She couldn't ask for much more than to be considered an equal amongst so many people she was starting to look up to. Their determination, skills, and tenacity inspired her greatly.

"I am going to need your help." Sousuke breathed with a deep sigh as the words escaped his lips. "We need you to do more than just transport tools and weapons." He turned to look at her with a sad look on his face.

"I will do it. I want to help Urd." Skuld replied with determination in her voice.

Sousuke smiled at her sadly. "This is going to change you. You are going to be different. No one goes to war and comes back the same." He reached out and placed a hand on her cheek for a moment before handing her the rifle and taking a step back. "I won't hold back. You are going to be a killer when I am done with you."

Skuld felt herself blanch as she gazed at Sousuke. She fidgeted with the weapon in her hands. The heavy wooden stock and big metal barrel felt awkward in her palms as she looked down at it. She slipped her right hand down towards the trigger, gripped the stock and allowed her index finger to rest inside the guard. She looked back up at Sousuke as he spoke to her.

"Get your god damn finger off that trigger." He barked.

\scenebreak

Shinji adjusted his spotters scope slowly as he sat cross legged next to the prone form of Skuld. He could see her body gently rising and falling as she took deep and deliberate breathes. "Adjust. Two up. One left." Shinji commanded as he continued to look into the scope. A single target sat lazily off in the distance that the pair focused on.

Skuld reached up to the scope with her left hand and carefully adjusted the knobs that controlled elevation and windage."Two up. One left." She confirmed before settling herself once more. The rifle moved faintly before returning to a solid position again.

Shinji looked back at Sousuke for a moment who was watching impassively. Tessa stood to the right with her hands behind her back. She gave a tiny grin and a nod towards him. He looked back down into the scope.

"Send it." Shinji spoke. He felt his body jerk as the report of the weapon startled him. He felt his heart beat race as the scent of gun powder reached his nose. "Good hit." He confirmed as he continued to peer through the scope. "Send it." He repeated himself, but didn't jump as hard as the weapon fired again. "Good hit." He reached out and gently patted Skuld on her leg.

"Good work." Sousuke spoke as he approached the pair. "Make safe. Remove the magazine." He ordered before letting his scowl hold on Shinji. "Let's take a walk Shinji." He ordered.

Skuld rapidly took down the weapon to a safe state. The magazine was laid out next to the rifle, the safety engaged, and the bolt locked back. She began to stand but sat back down after Sousuke waved her off. Skuld smiled quizzically as she watched Sousuke and Shinji begin to walk away.

"It'll be fine." Tessa smiled encouragingly as she approached the sitting Goddess. "Those two are going to go have a short chat."

"Oh OK!" Skuld cheerfully replied before loosening the cleaning kit from her pocket. She opened it and started to clean her weapon as Tessa watched her.

Sousuke placed his hands on his hips as the pair moved away standing side by side. He waited until he was well out of hearing range for the Goddess before stopping to look at Shinji. "You two are becoming quite the well oiled fighting machine. An effective team. Right?" He inquired.

"Sir." Shinji replied as he snapped to attention. "We are an effective team."

Sousuke waved his hand and stated calmly. "At ease. Friends right now, not soldiers." He smiled before placing his hand on Shinji's shoulder. "Look. I know you two have been getting close."

"We aren't going to do anything to jeopardize this mission." Shinji urged as he look at Sousuke. "I promise you. We aren't going to mess this up."

"That's the thing. Do you understand why we are here?" Sousuke inquired.

"To save Urd." Shinji replied. "We are going to save Urd, then we are going to do what ever it takes to keep you two safe." He continued to speak.

Sousuke chuckled before shaking his head. "We are here because I made a mistake. It was my screw ups that landed Urd in trouble, you all in danger, and threw their life upside down."

"That isn't what I heard." Shinji replied. "I met Skuld. You met Urd. These monsters have been waiting for their chance to invade. Maybe, we are here because the universe needed us?" Shinji smiled wide. "These past few weeks have been the best days of my life. I feel like I am doing something real for once." He gestured backwards towards Skuld. "I would die for her."

"I know. Take your time. Both of you need to understand, she has a chance to live right now. If you two make the same mistakes that Urd and I did, she won't make it out of this at the end." Sousuke sighed. "Just be careful."

"I would never hurt her." Shinji replied. "She hasn't even hugged me yet." He laughed.

Sousuke laughed. "Shes an interesting one." He nodded.

\scenebreak

Sousuke and Tessa sat at a small desk together. The pair were brain storming training scenarios for the rest of the team. As far as Sousuke knew, the rest of the group had long gone to sleep. The majority of them were tired from training or conducting exercises. He had been drilling them on close quarters combat for the majority of the week and most of them were very tired.

"I heard that Peorth has woken up." Tessa interrupted his thought process as she twirled a pen between her fingers. The soft flicker of the lamps that Belldandy had summoned danced shadows off of her face. "Otaki hasn't left her side since he got here. I think he has a little infatuation."

Sousuke scratched at his cheek for a moment before turning to look at her. He leaned back and placed his feet up on the desk before crossing his arms. "I don't blame him. He seems to have a knack for medicine and it seems like he imprinted on her like a duck."

Tessa giggled for a moment before sighing. "How many do you think we are going to loose?" She inquired. "What are we fighting for? The planet? The universe? What?" She cocked her head and shrugged her shoulders as she looked at Sousuke.

"I'm fighting for Urd." Sousuke replied before shrugging. "I guess I am fighting for every one now. I don't know any more. This isn't normal." He looked at Tessa and sighed. "I apologize for the issues I have caused you."

"Don't you dare." Tessa yelped as she wagged a finger at him. "You don't apologize for any of this." She sighed before standing up and beginning to pace around the room. "This is the attitude that gets you into trouble you know." She scolded him.

"It's hard not to apologize when every thing you do turns to shit." Sousuke stood and placed his hands above his head allowing his wrists to wrest on the top of his skull. He interlaced his fingers and began to pace as well. "Kaname left me. Urd is in limbo." He crushed his eyes lids closed as he began to feel his jaw ache again.

"Kaname cheated on you." Tessa breathed quietly.

"What?" Sousuke questioned. "What did you say?"

"She met a man at her school. He is a teacher. The night she left, she went to him." Tessa continued to speak with a blank look on her face.

"Are you kidding me?" Sousuke couldn't help but feel his normally stoic demeanor begin to crumble. He grew red in the face and his hands began to sweat. After a few moments he took a deep breathe, exhaled hard, and then began to laugh. "Fuck her." He shrugged and took a seat again.

Tessa tried not to laugh but it hitched in her throat. "I almost killed them both you know. I personally took an Arm Slave and parked it outside his house for over an hour." Tessa smiled.

Sousuke smiled before breaking into laughter at the absurdity of the entire situation. He shook his head as he thought about how angry Tessa must have been to spend the hundreds of thousands of dollars it costs to operate an Arm Slave for hours.

"Fuck her." Tessa felt her lip quiver before she burst into laughter as well. Thick tears streamed down her face as she struggled between her anger, disappointment, and sadness. "I should have done her." She sighed. "I'm more upset that you were almost happy." She continued to rage before moving towards Sousuke and collapsing into his arms.

Sousuke held Tessa to his chest as she sobbed. Her tiny fists were balled up and she held them against his chest. "Why couldn't you just be happy?" She repeated herself several times. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I told you about that." She sighed.

"It's fine." He assured her. "I appreciate it. I do." He comforted her. "I'm glad I know."

"I almost killed that bitch." Tessa's shoulders began to buck as she burst into laughter. She looked up from Sousukes' chest to hold his eyes in hers as she grinned and giggled. Thick tears continued to leak from her eyes. "Kaboom." She whispered before leaning back and bursting into an even deeper laugh.


	24. Chapter 24

Shinji shifted nervously as he sat on the edge of the bed. He was smiling at Skuld as she stared back with an unreadable look on her face. "What did you need to see me for?" He asked cautiously. He ran his fingers through his hair nervously.

"I had a thought." Skuld replied as her voice trailed off. "I think there is something I want to do." She leaned forward to shift her weight onto the palm of her right hand as she brought her face closer to Shinji. She could see him gulp nervously and it intrigued her.

"What did you want to do?" He whispered as he fought to keep his voice from cracking. He watched as her eyes broke their hold of his and drifted downwards towards his lips. He licked his lips without thinking.

"I want to kiss you." She replied. "How should we do this?" She whispered as her eye brows furrowed and she bit down on her lower lip nervously. "I don't know how."

"Well, we would do it just like other people do." He chuckled nervously as he felt butterflies growing in his stomach. He wondered if he should leave her room, run, or try to hide under the bed. This wasn't what he had expected when she had asked him to accompany her to her room in the middle of the night. He could have guessed though.

"I've seen Urd kiss Sousuke." She breathed hard. Her face continued to drift closer to his as she spoke. Her tiny hands balled into fists and her shoulders shuddered.

"Well, is that what you want to do?" Shinji smiled encouragingly at her. He couldn't help but smile when her eyes darted away and she nodded her head in the affirmative. She was blushing and had allowed her hair to fall down over her face in a vain attempt to hide from his gaze.

"Should I kiss you?" He asked her. He tried not to chuckle when she shrugged her shoulders nervously. "Maybe you should kiss me first. I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do. OK?" He reached out and ran his hand down her shoulder before allowing his hand to covers.

Skuld nodded before whispering. "I'll kiss you first." Her voice was barely perceptible as her gaze slowly made the trip back up to his face. "Are you sure?"

Shinji nodded at her.

Skuld scooted closer to him. She pursed her lips and turned her left hand to take the hand sitting on hers into grasp. Her breath became ragged as she began to lean towards him. Her face turned crimson and filled with heat as she stared at him. She needed a moment to gather her courage.

"It's OK." Shinji whispered. He closed his eyes.

Skuld nodded her head once before lifting her right hand to his face. She held his cheek for a moment and laid her eyes on his glistening lips. Her right hand slowly pulled away from his face before she swung it back. She connected with the side of his face. He rocked over and almost fell off the bed as the impact surprised him. Skuld reached out with her right hand, snatch a handful of his shirt into her hand, and yanked him back in her direction.

Shinji cried out as his face crumpled against hers. He could feel her wet and cool lips part as she began to wiggle her tongue onto, over, and into his mouth. He imagined it was something like kissing an electric eel or a particularly toothy fish. She seemed to be unhesitant in biting down on him.

After a few moments of awkward grunting, tonguing, and light groping, Skuld withdrew from his lips and smiled sheepishly. "OK. You do me now." She whispered before closing her eyes tight and angling her cheek towards Shinji. She grimaced as she prepared for him emulate her actions and land a blow across her face.

"What are you doing?" Shinji questioned as he wiped the spit from his lips with his forearm before rubbing at his face. "Why did you hit me?"

"I was kissing you." Skuld replied with a look of surprise and hurt on her face. "I thought you liked me." Her lower lip quivered as she stared at the boy.

"I do. I just don't understand why you hit me. Is that a Goddess thing?" He queried. His face stung and his lip felt like it was swelling.

"That is how Urd and Sousuke kiss. Sometimes I can hear them yelling and struggling and sometimes even Ele' gets involved." She rattled off her reasoning nervously as she grew self conscious under the gaze of her friend. "I wanted to show you I liked you."

"I like you too." He assured her. "It's just that people who like each other don't usually hit each other like that. I think." He spoke softly before reaching forward to caress her cheek. "I don't want to hit you."

Skuld scowled as she looked down at the floor embarrassed. "Why not? Sousuke and Urd do it. I want to be just like Sousuke." She spoke. "He is a nasty but I look up to him." She stared at Shinji with a defiant look.

Shinji thought for a moment before reaching forward to gently land his palm against Skuld's cheek. It barely made a sound before he reached up to grab a handful of her hair and pull her forward for a gentle kiss. "I don't know how well I can do this." He finally whispered when their kiss broke.

"That's better." Skuld giggled. "Thanks." She continued before gripping his head with both hands and continuing their kiss.

\scenebreak

Sousuke approached his two trainees as they stood at attention. He had approached from behind and began speaking before reaching them. He was reciting the lesson plan for the day, informing the pair what exercises and skills they would be working on. He stopped in his tracks when his gaze fell on Shinji.

Shinji stood nervously as he watched Sousuke. The soldier had stopped speaking and was simply gazing at him. He wondered how bad his face must look for it to take away his ability to speak.

"What happened to you." Sousuke questioned.

Shinji took a breath and gulped before replying. "I. We. I fell." He replied lamely.

Sousuke took several steps forward and stood nearly nose to nose with his friend. He looked at the damage on his face. He could see bruising around his eye, scratches to his cheek, and what looked like a crushing injury to his lip. It appeared someone had bitten him. After a few moments Sousuke turned his gaze on Skuld who continued to stare straight ahead passively.

Sousuke leaned forward and whispered into the ear of Shinji. "Did she do this to you?"

Shinji nervously nodded his head yes in the affirmative.

Sousuke turned on his heels and walked away before yelling back towards the pair. "Get to work." He was surprised by the answer but he knew that close quarters could make even the most homely compatriot into a gold medal winner in the looks department. "You two better be careful." He spoke as he watched the pair begin to prepare for their lesson.

\scenebreak

Sousuke tossed and turned on his bed. The time when they would be returning to their normal time line was rapidly approaching and he found himself increasingly unable to sleep. He would awaken with screams on his lips as he leaped from bed. He would be drenched in a cold sweat and when the lights would go out he would hear things in the darkness that he knew weren't there.

He reached up with his hands to cover his face for a bit before sighing and throwing the covers back. He reached over to the side of the bed and grabbed a pair of shorts to cover his nude form before standing at the side of the bed motionless for some time. "Fuck you." He growled aloud before making his way to the door and opening it.

The outer hall was barren. He knew it was late but he couldn't make it through the night. He began to walk before finding himself before a door. He knocked on the door and waited. He was sure he heard a pair of voices before one of them went silent. Sousuke sighed, he had watched the females in the house pair off. Tessa with Tamiya, Otaki with Peorth, and Skuld with Shinji now.

The door opened and an abashed looking Skuld stood in the doorway. She stared nervously at Sousuke as she tried to keep the door as closed as possible. "Do you need something?" She asked.

Sousuke sighed. "Can you summon me something?" He asked.

Skuld looked surprised and relieved at the same time before stopping herself from throwing a look over her shoulder. "Sure. What do you need?" She asked.

Sousuke found himself mumbling as he felt strangely self conscious. His voice sounded like he had a mouth full of mush as he tried to articulate what he wanted.

"I'm sorry. What?" She asked again.

"I need a bottle of liquor." He spoke louder. "Brandy. Please." He averted his eyes as he felt shame for his weakness. "Some orange juice concentrate too. Please." He finished.

Skuld steeled herself from looking at him pitifully before clapping her hands softly. The brandy bottle and the frozen juice concentrate in a plastic container appeared on the floor which Sousuke scooped up quickly. "Need a glass?" She asked.

"I have one." He replied as he shook the brandy bottle.

Skuld nodded her head as she looked down at the ground and away "Anything else?" She asked.

"Does he sleep in here now?" Sousuke asked. He could hear a rapid movement like someone panicking behind Skuld.

"Yes." She replied. "On the floor." She added.

Sousuke nodded. "Be careful." He replied before turning to walk away. "Apologies. One last thing. Can I get a spoon?"

Skuld made a small spoon appear in her hand. She handed the article to Sousuke and waited to close the door. She sighed sadly as he made his way back to his room.

Sousuke used his foot to open his door and entered the room. He made his way over to a small table he had and placed the spoon, brandy bottle, and orange juice concentrate down on the table. He cracked the seal on the brandy and opened the bottle. He mused for a moment as he wondered if Skuld was making these things they needed or taking them from somewhere else.

He hefted the full bottle to his lips and took several strong gulps. He felt his eyes water and his chest burn. He then opened the bottle of orange juice concentrate and used the spoon to add the soupy mixture to his bottle of brandy. He would fill the neck of the bottle with the goop before replacing the cap and shaking it. It took some time but he finally felt he had enough of the concoction made and he began to drink it. The orange flavoring of the concentrate helped him to stomach the alcohol and he took deeper quaffs.

His face grew numb as he sat in silence. The only sound was the gentle swishing of the liquor. He entertained himself by watching what was left of the orange concentrate melt on the desk. He would reach out and place a finger in the goop, swirl it around, and then place the digit in his mouth. He mused about Urd and fought back tears as he imagined her face when she watched them vanish.

He wasn't sure how long he had been drinking but he realized the bottle was empty and a sticky mess was all that remained of the juice concentrate on the desk. He felt as though the room was swaying softly and he struggled to hold himself straight when he stood. He swished the bottle back and forth in his hand, held it upside down, and stuck a finger in it before licking the damp digit. He really wanted what was left in the bottle.

"Fuck you." He spoke aloud before hurling the bottle at the wall. The offending glass shattered into several large hunks as it collided with the shelter. He turned and looked down at the desk, gripped it with both hands, and tossed it at the wall as well. "Fuck you." He repeated as the desk crashed into the wall and splintered in several places

Sousuke held his head in his hands as he felt himself swaying. His forehead was drenched in sweat and he realized that he had made a terrible mistake in drinking an entire bottle of brandy. "Ugh." He groaned before reaching down in the hopes of pulling off his shirt. He realized as he groped around that he was still only wearing a pair of shorts.

The sound of pounding woke Sousuke with a start. He remembered trying to take his shirt off and not much else. He was laying on the floor and the sound of someone knocking on his door rang out in his head as loud as if someone were screaming in his ear. "I'm up!" He cried out before rolling over and clamping his eyes shut. He felt like throwing up and shitting himself all at once.

"Hey! Are you all right?" Came the voice of Skuld from just beyond the barrier of the door. "Sousuke!?" She continued to yell.

"Please. Shut your mouth." Sousuke pleaded before crawling on his hands and knees to the door and opening it. He leaned his head against the door as he stared at Skuld.

"Gross." Skuld began to laugh as she looked down at Sousuke. "Where are your clothes?"

Sousuke looked down and realized he had shrugged himself out of all of his clothes at some point. His eyes were blood shot and he still stunk like alcohol. His head was pounding and he could barely see straight. "I misplaced my clothes." He croaked.

"I see that." Skuld replied as she continued to stare at him. She waited a moment before chuckling and stating "Gross." She took a few steps into the room and looked about at the mess. She located his shorts and a shirt and brought them back to Sousuke.

"Thank you." Sousuke stated as he pulled on the loose garments. He burped and felt an urge to throw up as a surge of stomach acid and liquor rushed into his mouth. He grimaced.

"Lay down." Skuld sighed as she pulled the covers down on his bed. She watched as Sousuke climbed into the bed and lay on his side. He looked pitiful as he curled into a ball on the bed.

"Thank you." He stated again.

"Yep." Skuld replied as she drew the covers up and over him. She tucked him in and sat down on the edge of the bed before placing one of her hands on his forehead. "You are burning up." She spoke with a tinge of worry in her voice. "How do you feel?"

"I have felt better." Sousuke replied through grit teeth.

Skuld nodded and then cleared her throat. She fidgeted nervously as she began to stroke Sousuke, her fingers running slowly over his head and through his hair. "I am going to sing to you." The little Goddess stated. She cleared her throat one more time before starting to sing a slow and deliberate song.

Sousuke could feel himself relaxing as her voice filled the room. He had thought for a moment that he would suffer under the sound, but instead he felt a surge of hope and uplifting emotions. He felt his jaw unclench and his head began to clear as the little Goddess continued to sing.

Sousuke lost track of time. He stopped counting the songs after the fifth but he felt infinitely better. He felt the strongest urge to sleep and he began to fight to keep his eyes open.

"It's all right." Skuld reassured Sousuke. "Close your eyes." She urged him before giving him a smile.

Sousuke nodded and closed his eyes. He fell asleep almost instantly. He only slept this well when he was with Urd. He wanted Urd back. It was time. He would execute his rescue mission or die trying.


	25. Chapter 25

Sousuke walked slowly down the line of those he considered friends and family. Tessa followed behind him at a leisurely pace as he stopped and inspected each of them. Today was the day they planned to return to the normal realm and they needed to be ready for what lay on the other side. He reached out with his hand and waited for Shinji to hand him his weapon. It was an AR-$15$ with a forward grip, reflex sight, and a sling.

Shinji broke attention and lifted the rifle up before handing it towards Sousuke. Sousuke gripped it, drew back the charging handle, and inspected the bolt, barrel, and trigger assembly. The weapon was clean and well maintained with only a glistening hint of lubricant on the moving parts.

Shinji beamed when Sousuke handed the weapon back to him. "Good job." Sousuke spoke as he turned to Skuld and repeated his actions. He held out his hand, withdrew her rifle from her hand, and slid the bolt open. The rifle was massive in his hands and was chambered for $20$MM. A massive piece of glass sat on the receiver which provided intense magnification. His eyes caught a gouge in the stock and he realized that she had carved the words "Goddess Delivery Service" into the butt of the weapon. He refused to smile as he handed the weapon back to her and nodded his head once.

Skuld took the rifle from him and shouldered it. She turned her head slightly to watch as Tessa finished adjusting the gear that Shinji wore. She could see the young female commander tugging on straps, inspecting the fit of his body armor, and she felt a tinge of jealousy when the woman used the back of her hand to strike him in the groin, verifying that he was wearing his ballistic cup.

Shinji flinched before he stood up straight quickly as he realized that he didn't feel pain. "Habit I guess." He whispered as Tessa chuckled.

Tessa turned and approached Skuld and began to repeat her ministrations. She tugged on straps, inspected the contents of pouches, and verified that Skuld had all of her ammo, tools, and sundries she might need for their mission. "Feeling nervous?" Tessa inquired as she ran her hand between the plate carrier and her body, making sure that she was wearing soft armor underneath.

"I feel a little nervous." Skuld admitted as she turned on her heels and allowed Tessa to inspect her back. The young Goddess allowed herself an indulgence as she gazed down at the tight cat suit that Tessa was wearing. She was going to be piloting one of the Arm Slaves that they had prepared. Skuld was aware that Sousuke and Tessa would be working as a team. The pair would be piloting Arm Slaves once they finished rescuing Urd. She turned her head and watched as Sousuke began to speak to Peorth.

"I appreciate you helping us." He spoke as he held eye contact with the Goddess. "It means a lot to me that you are willing to do this to help save Urd." He continued.

"I am happy to help. I owe Belldandy and I feel like I can be of use." She smiled as she leaned on the thick metallic shield that she stood behind. "Just to be clear, when I land, I hold up the shield and you do the rest?" She asked.

"Affirmative." Sousuke nodded as he reached back to pat his P$90$ gently. "I will move to your flank and open fire. We will get Urd free, then finish the creature off." He paused to welcome questions.

"Sounds fine to me." Peorth smiled before turning to throw a thumbs up at a very nervous looking Otaki. The young man seemed to be nervously watching as he held a large medic bag. He wasn't enthusiastic about Peorth putting herself in danger after all of the time he had spent with her.

Sousuke and Tessa eventually finished inspecting all of the combatants and the group made a formation. Skuld guided them as she had Peorth kneel and brace herself behind the large shield they had built. Sousuke stood behind her with his P$90$ up in the ready position, ready to use the shield as mobile cover.

Tessa, Skuld, Shinji, Otaki, Tamiya, and the other combatants made a semi circle behind the pair and began to wait. Belldandy and Keiichi stood even further back. Skuld began to count down as the group tensed as one.

Urd had watched the group vanish into thin air. She felt the slightest tinge of abandonment as the creature that inhabited Troubadour began to look about with a curious surge. It felt like only a second had passed before a strange metal shield landed on the ground, propped up by a kneeling figure. Urd realized that Sousuke was standing behind the shield as well and his weapon erupted into action as round after round ripped past her and into the creature holding her against her will.

Urd fell to the floor and toppled over as the creature recoiled. Moments later, numerous weapons erupted in a crescendo of blasts as the entire group landed. The counter invasion had begun and they wasted no time in neutralizing the creature.

Sousuke held up a fist and the group halted their firing at once. He continued to hold the rifle at high ready as he approached the laboriously breathing monster that had held Urd only moments before. He looked down at the shattered face that was once Troubadour, hefted his boot into the air, and stomped downwards in order to completely crush the skull structure. He then fired two more rounds into the beast and verified it was dead.

Sousuke immediately knelt down to fuss over Urd. "Are you hurt?" He asked as he slipped the weapon behind his back to hang from the sling that steadied it on his body. He reached down to caress her hair with one hand as he held out the other to lift her to her feet.

Urd took his hand and stood quickly. "What happened to you all?" She asked as she looked past him at the serious looking Skuld and the scowling Belldandy who drew her attention first. She brought her attention back to Sousuke before shaking her head. "Forget it. I'll find out later." She looked down at the pulverized beast that was once Troubadour before looking back at Sousuke. "What do we do now?"

"We know there is an invasion. These creatures are going to attack both Heaven and Hell and we have to stop them." Sousuke froze before drawing his weapon up. He looked towards the doorway and watched as a single hand waved for a few moments before a voice rang out.

"Hey! What the hell is going on?" Mao yelled out.

"Show yourself!" Sousuke replied.

Mao and Kurtz stepped out from behind the wall and stood in the doorway. Kurtz held a small pistol in his hand and Mao held a knife in her hand, the pair were both naked from the waist up.

"Clothes please?" Mao politely requested before Skuld clapped her hands and the pair were decked out in their Arm Slave uniforms.

"Do you two think you can fight?" Sousuke asked them after he lowered his weapon and beckoned them into the room. "We are going to Hell and defending a portal."

"Mr. Keiichi and I will go to Heaven and assess the situation." Belldandy spoke up as she approached the group.

Keiichi nervously shifted his weight from foot to foot as he looked about the room. He held a simple pump action shotgun in his hands with a large reflex sight on it. He had never demonstrated any combat aptitude so he had been provided a scatter gun in the hopes of increasing his chances of striking the enemy. "I'm ready." He piped up as he tugged on the handle several times, making sure the bolt was locked on the weapon.

Sousuke turned to Urd and placed his arms around her. He hugged her tightly, crushing her against his body. "You will ride with me." He whispered in her ear before releasing his grip on her. "Skuld, get the device ready. Belldandy, you two can head out."

Belldandy nodded before reaching out to place the palm of her hand on the shoulder of Keiichi. She closed her eyes and incanted a prayer before the pair vanished in a burst of wind that rocked the room.

Skuld took the opportunity to run forward and place her arms around Urd. She giggled before pulling away and giving a sharp look to Urd. "Don't ever scare me like that again." She growled before putting a smile on her face again. "No monster would want to eat you anyways. You are too ugly." She snickered before rushing back towards Shinji, her massive rifle clinking as she darted about.

Urd stood dumb founded. She had watched the group vanish for only a moment, but now they return changed. She felt a tinge of hurt as she wondered what she missed while they were in the other dimension. She felt her shoulders relax when Sousuke placed his palm under her chin and gazed into her eyes.

"I miss you every moment of every day we spent away. I never stopped thinking about you." He assured her before standing. He pointed towards the wall and spoke. "Make us a door."

Tamiya moved towards the wall. The massive auto club member withdrew a sledgehammer from a pouch on his back and quickly knocked a hole through the wall and into the court yard. He replaced the hammer and withdrew his shotgun before making his way through the hole and into the court yard. He looked around for a moment and then waved the rest of them through.

Skuld smirked as Urd stared before piping up. "A wall is just a door without a handle." She seemed proud of herself to be repeating something that Sousuke had stated previously.

"Why didn't we use the door?" Urd asked as she followed Sousuke through.

"We don't need to fight through a house full of monsters to get to the Arm Slaves." He replied before pressing a button on his vest. One of the Arm Slaves knelt and opened a canopy for the pair to climb into. Sousuke gripped one of the handles and yanked himself up into the seat. He grabbed the harness system and locked himself in. He then motioned for Urd to climb up.

Urd lithely stepped into the machine and crawled past Sousuke to lock herself into one of the seats nestled behind his. She could see his reflection in the glass of the canopy as it sealed shut with a hiss and the systems began to power up around her. The inside of the machine began to glow with an aggressive red tinge.

"Comm check." Sousuke spoke into the microphone. He continued to fiddle with switches and knobs before his head jerked to the right and he looked down at Otaki and two of the other soldiers firing their weapons towards one of the walls. "Contact." Came a voice over the radio.

"Skuld on line." Skuld piped up.

"Tessa on line." Tessa replied as her Arm Slave stood to the maximum height it could before crouching back down into a combat position.

"Shinji here." Shinji spoke into the radio as well.

Urd covered her ears when Sousuke rotated the trunk of the Arm Slave and fired off a burst of $20$MM rounds into the wall where the rest of the group had been shooting. The creatures that had been surging near the target zone scattered as several of them burst into pieces.

"Belldandy?" Sousuke queried after a few moments.

"We are ready." Came the reply of Belldandy. She stood several feet back in the court yard with a very frightened looking Keiichi next to her. "We are going to depart now."

"Go." Sousuke replied as he watched Belldandy and Keiichi vanish. He could see the grass bend where they once stood as their visage faded.

"Skuld. Can you drop us on top Hild?" Sousuke queried.

"Negative. I can get us to the entrance to Hell. No Goddess is strong enough to land inside the gates." She replied.

"What?" Urd asked as she listened to the conversation. "Why are we going to Hell?" She continued to query. "Why am I going?" She seemed panicked.

"You are going to guide is from the drop zone to the target. We are going to break the enemies surge for the gate. Then we are going to confront Hild." Sousuke replied. "We need you to help us get there safely. You need to be able to guide us to our destination." Sousuke explained.

"I see." Urd replied before slumping down into her seat. "Sousuke..." She started to explain something but stopped. She dabbed at her eyes with the back of her wrist and then quieted down.

"I'm in position with Shinji." Skuld spoke over the radio. "Hold onto your ass." She piped up before the light around the Arm Slave began to fold and darken. It took several seconds before an alarm began to blare inside of the mechanized unit as it heaved to the side violently.

"We are here." Skuld shouted into the radio before coughing several times. The air was thick with dust and dark clouds, lightning flashed over head, and a battle raged around the group as demons and monsters clashed violently. A shower of blood sprayed onto the canopy of Tessa's Arm Slave as she activated her jump jets and maneuvered out of the path of an enormous demon that was bucking her way with several smaller creatures lashing out at it.

"I am moving us to a safer location." Sousuke cried out before engaging the jump jets and leaping over several other monsters. They didn't seem to be paying attention to the new comers and they rapidly made their way to an escarpment that over looked the massive land battle happening around them.

"Dismounting." came the voice of Shinji as he and Skuld dismounted from the Arm Slave and ran to the top of the hill. The pair threw themselves onto the floor with a thud and set up over watch. "The castle will be about three miles north. Well, your compass will point north." She shrugged as she felt no desire to attempt to explain the intricacies of demon world geology.

"Confirmed." Sousuke replied before turning his cannon on a demon that was pulsing with tentacles and dark eldritch energy. He fired off several rounds and watched as the beast melted into a puddle on the floor. He swiveled the machine at the waist and engaged several more creatures as the monsters and demons alike began to notice the new comers.

"They know we are here." Sousuke cried out into the radio before leaping high above a massive bipedal skeleton that swung a broad sword at him. The demonic creature had a chest cavity full of fire and eyes that burned with black flames. It burst into pieces as Sousuke placed several well aimed shots at the bones that supported the massive creature and it fell to pieces.

He tried to react but another creature rushed forward in an attempt to bull rush him. He grit his teeth and prepared to impact but the monster veered off in a stumble as a single round collided with its brain cavity and the creature fell over with a thud.

"Hit." Skuld spoke in unison with Shinji as she jacked the handle up and back, ejected the massive $20$MM brass shell casing, and slammed the handle forward in order to load another shot. The muzzle blast of the compensated rifle echoed out like the cry of a strange beast as she announced her presence to the battle.

"Thanks!" Sousuke called out as the muzzle flash of Tessa and the other soldiers caught his attention. Kurtz, Mao, Tessa, Sousuke, and two of the soldiers from "enemy group 1" were piloting Arm Slaves in this battle. "Urd and I are going to head to the castle. Tessa on me. The rest of you, keep them busy."

A number of agreeable affirmatives echoed over the radio as Sousuke pressed a single button and activated a homing signal for Tessa to follow through the battle. He began to fire his weapon in order to cut a path through demons and monsters and smiled when he noticed Tessa slide up next to him and open fire with her weapon as well.

The pair rushed away from the battle field and towards the ominous structure they referred to as the castle. The looming black building was back lit by a raging storm and movement could be seen as numerous creatures fought on top of and around the building.

A low moan caught Sousuke off guard for a moment before he pressed a button on the dashboard of the mechanized battle machine. A camera flickered on and he looked at Urd through the machine. She was curled in a ball on her seat. Massive horns had sprouted from her head and she buckled at the waist. She had sprouted claws and teeth again.

"Are you all right?" Sousuke asked over his shoulder.

Her head nodded slightly and she turned to look at the back of his seat. Her voice cracked and she struggled to speak past the massive pointed teeth in her mouth as she groaned out her words. "My demonic side comes out when I am in Hell." She felt her back arch and her head slam back as she cried out in pain before two massive black bat like wings erupted from her shoulder blades. A spattering of blood shot in all directions, drenching the cabin interior as she began to cry.

"Just hold on!" Sousuke cried out before activating a volley of missiles that stripped the flesh and limbs from several horse like demons that had turned to rush them. The creatures smoked and twitched as he stepped onto and over them. "We will get this done. Then we will go on a vacation. We are going to go somewhere nice. Away from everything. Right?" He continued to speak to her in hopes of taking her mind off of the excruciating pain she appeared to be in.

"Some where." She confirmed.

"Some where." He replied in turn. "Tessa. Cluster munitions. Hit the wall and make us a hole."

"You got it." Tessa replied before launching a mortar round from the rear pylon of her mechanized war machine. The blast nearly lifted her Arm Slave off the ground as it propelled a massive cluster bomb into the air before it reached apex and swerved downwards rapidly. The device exploded in mid air and tiny bomblets rained down over the creatures and the defensive walls that supported the castle. A massive cloud of dirt and dust obscured their vision as the wall collapsed onto the crowd of beasts.

"Good shot." Sousuke spoke over the radio.

"Thanks." Tessa replied before firing another salvo. She decimated the battle field in short order and broke the line as the eldritch creatures began to run from the demons who continued to pour from the castle even as many of them fell in the cross fire.

"I'm going to find a place to dismount and go in on foot." Sousuke spoke up as he rocketed up to land on one of the walls, he immediately launched again and landed with a hard thud as he found himself on a roof with a single window in front of it. "Urd. Baby. Is that a good window?" He questioned over his shoulder.

The only reply he received was her pained scream. She was nearly incoherent as the flesh on her arms peeled back and armored plates sprouted from her bones. She seemed to be growing armor as she thrashed in her seat and blood continued to burst outwards in spurts from the wounds that were rapidly healing on her body.

"Urd. Sweet heart. Baby. I need you to stay here." Sousuke spoke up as he unhooked his belt. "I don't know if you can hear me. I need you to stay here. You can't get hurt. You leave if things get too dangerous. OK?" He spoke at her as he caused a monitor to flip down near her. He pointed at the screen. "You can use that to vanish. Right?" He asked her but received no reply.

Sousuke grabbed his rifle, a LAW rocket launcher, and a helmet before pressing several buttons and popping the canopy on his Arm Slave. He leaped from the seat, landed with a roll on the floor, and lifted the weapon to make his way towards the window at the wall. He didn't turn to watch the canopy close behind him or the robot vanish as it cloaked.

"It ends now." He kept repeating himself as he sliced the pie on the window and attempted to look for any combatants within the room on the other side. He didn't see anything and so he pulled himself in through the window. The stone floors clacked scandalously as he stepped about. He assumed that a Queen would be in the main chambers during a battle and so he chose a direction and began to run towards the sound of war fare echoing in the halls.

\scenebreak

"I'm out of ammunition!" Mao cried out as her Arm Slave rocked backwards under a punishing blast of flames from what looked like a dragon. Her screams over the radio were cut off as the machine jerked to the side and she attempted to position the back of the machine towards her attacker. A few seconds later the emergency ejection seat engaged and she was thrust into the sky as the Arm Slave below her toppled over and exploded with enough force to kill the dragon attacking her. It's head pealed off of its neck like you might butcher a chicken.

Skuld continued to indiscriminately fire her rifle in an attempt to route the monsters and demons. They were rapidly loosing their stand off group as the battle began to ebb towards and eventually onto them. She had turned her head piece off and fixated on the battle as she rapidly fired rounds down into the battle. A monster would explode and she no longer screamed or hollered with excitement. She just kept shooting.

Shinji began to fire with his rifle towards the smaller creatures threatening to over run their position. He knelt over Skuld and used the small of her back to hold his magazines as his shooting showered hot brass over the pair. She didn't even notice or flinch when the pieces stuck in her hair, she was too busy trying to keep them alive as she took out the bigger creatures.

"I'm getting low." Shinji cried out as used the palm of his hand to rattle Skuld.

"Me too." She yelled back, even her ears were ringing and she realized he probably couldn't hear her as he kept shaking her. She felt movement and saw a blur as Shinji slammed away from her. She rolled and a stampeding foot barely missed her as she dodged out of the way.

During the heat of the battle, she didn't realize it, but they had been over run. She looked about and noticed the smoldering wrecks of the Arm Slaves in the distance and not a single gun shot any more. Shinji lay at an odd angle with blood slowly seeping from his ear with a strange clear fluid mixed in.

"No! No! NO!" Skuld screamed before using her left hand to throw herself up into a standing position. Several creatures surrounded her, and none of them were pure demons. Each of them were covered in tentacles and black energy that seemed to warp even their demonic forms into something grotesque.

Skuld reached behind her, grabbed the handle of her bayonet, and withdrew the knife from where it was holstered near her thigh. The black bladed weapon felt heavy in her hand as she took a fighting stance and began to maneuver herself around the creatures. "Noble Scarlet. If you are going to show up. I need you now." She spoke aloud in prayer.

The monsters halted their advance and stared at her. She realized that Noble Scarlet, the diminutive and blond haired Angel had appeared and was snarling towards the demons. The little Angel stood between her and them. The tiny Angel continued to growl and wave it's tiny hands threateningly and the monsters each began to take several steps back.

"You want some of this?" Huh!?" Skuld yelled out as she shook the knife in their direction. "Come and get it you bastards!" She continued to yell as she took another step forward. "I'll kill every one of you!" She cried out before twirling the knife into a downward grip and bending at the knees in preparation for combat.

The monsters began to retreat and she began to laugh euphorically. She realized that she had summoned her Angel and just scared off half an army by herself. She jumped into the air and cheered before turning and laying eyes on what seemed to be every Angel in heaven. A massive retinue of warriors stood behind her, each with their Angels in tow, weapons in hand, and armor on. At the head stood a smiling Lind. The Goddess held a massive halberd in her hands and she seemed to be glowing with resplendent holy energy.

"Medic!" Skuld cried out as she pointed towards Shinji. She rushed to his side and dropped the knife with a clatter. A Goddess and her Angel approached and began to work on the man as Skuld scooted back. "Don't let him die." She spoke to the medic.

"Where are they?" Lind questioned as numerous Angels and Goddesses rushed onto the battlefield and began to crush the demons and the monsters surging about. "The castle?" She asked.

Skuld nodded her head once. "Urd, Sousuke, and Tessa." She confirmed.

"Stay here." Lind spoke before launching herself into the air explosively. Numerous other Goddesses followed suit and they propelled themselves towards the castle.

\scenebreak

"Are you all right?" Sousuke whispered into his microphone. He no longer heard explosions and he attempted to make contact with Tessa. After several seconds he tried again but to no answer. He looked about and realized he had not run into any enemies in some time. He could see the remnants of battle all around. Scorched walls, burnt bodies, and dead fallen Angels that he stepped over. He didn't see any sign of Hild however.

Sousuke felt eyes on his back and turned. He could see what looked like Marller, she was sitting on the floor and propped against the wall. "Marller?" He asked as he began to approach her.

"What are you doing here?" She struggled out as she grasped her stomach with both hands. She had been eviscerated and her intestines were seeping out around her finger tips. A shower of blood had caked itself on her face and she looked horrific.

"I'm here to save Hild." He replied as he knelt and began to pull out his individual first aid kit. "I don't have anything for a wound this big." He replied.

"Just save Hild." She coughed out a blood clot before slumping over. A mix of mucous and bloody ooze leaked from between her lips as she fell face first onto the ground. She allowed her hand to fall away from her wound and land on the floor with a thud. Her index finger pointing down the hallway.

Sousuke stood, turned, and began to run in the direction she had pointed. It almost seemed as though the castle was no longer working against him but with him as he stopped seeing doors, passing branches, or meeting steps. He simply ran down a massive hallway until a looming red door began to approach rapidly.

He pushed himself hard before leaping into the air and landing a flying kick into the door. It slammed open and he rolled into the room before standing and assessing the situation. Hild was laying on her side at the feet of several creatures. Numerous Fallen Angels lay dead and scattered about. A single injured beast turned to gaze at him. It undulated and shook as face after face appeared and then vanished on its skin.

Sousuke didn't hesitate. He began to fire rapidly, cutting into the beast as it tried to fling it's body at him. He held the trigger down until the weapon stopped firing, ejected the magazine, replaced it, and continued. He continued to fire as the beast ground to a halt and eventually fell over. It no longer moved and so he halted his firing.

"Hild!" Sousuke cried out as he rushed to her side. She was burned and looked to have lacerations on her body. Her clothing was tattered and she recoiled at his touch. "Hild. It's me, Sousuke!" He spoke up as he removed his compression top and placed it over her. "I'm here to help."

"The door." She rattled out as her eyes fluttered open. "Keep the door safe." She groaned before placing the back of her wrist on her forehead and going limp.

Sousuke stood and placed his back towards the massive stone archway that Hild had been trying to protect. He faced the doorway and knelt. He wasn't sure of what else to do.

"Talk to me Hild." Sousuke spoke aloud as he watched her chest softly rise and fall with her breath. She didn't reply and he grew nervous. "Tessa? Urd? Anyone?" He called into the radio.

\scenebreak

Tessa shook her head as she tugged ineffectually at the seat belt that held her into her Arm Slave. She was upside down currently and she could hear metal tearing and ripping as a massive demon with a head like a dog and a body like a man was currently punching a hole through her disabled vehicle. "Help!" She cried out into the radio. She wasn't sure if she was even transmitting any more.

She could see the spot where Sousuke had parked his Arm Slave. The last bit of power in her machine was showing a HUD that held remarks that another AS was parked and cloaked near by. She shimmied about for a moment before drawing her knife and cutting herself loose. She fell unceremoniously to the floor and rubbed the back of her head.

She began to kick at the glass in order to make a hole. After a few seconds she had finished destroying the canopy and worked her way out of the Arm Slave. She broke into a run and began to scramble towards the other Arm Slave. For a brief moment she wondered if she could make it before a powerful blow floored her and she skidded towards the cloaked machine. She was winded and could barely move but she managed to draw her pistol and roll onto her back. Her legs didn't seem to want to work but she began to pull herself with her arm backwards as she flailed her handgun back towards the demon and pulled the trigger several times.

She wondered when it would crush her when she realized that a glowing purple flash of light had illuminated the Arm Slave before the entire top half sheared off and Urd stood in the gutted machine. She looked different and Tessa felt a cold chill run down her spine as she gazed on the horrifying visage of the Princess of Demons.

Urd stretched her wings and smiled before turning to face the massive demon and Tessa. She licked her clawed finger tips for a moment before vaulting forward to land near Tessa. She stood nude, her body coated in bone plates and her forehead scrunched into a perpetual scowl. "Tessa." She hissed before standing and facing the demon.

The massive figure halted and immediately dropped into a low bow. "Princess." The demon growled out as he bowed his head. "I did not know that you were present."

"Silence." Urd spoke with a cold tone. "You will take this human and provide her medical attention. You will spread the word that the humans are not to be harmed. Provide them with safety and shelter as you locate them. If any of them die, you will all answer to me." Urd drew herself into a spread legged squat that caused Tessa to blush.

"Where is Sousuke?" She questioned as she cocked her head and flared her teeth. Spittle escaped her lips and it dripped onto Tessa's face.

"Inside." Was her only reply.

Urd nodded before rocketing upwards into the air, spinning and moving into a dive, and rushing back downwards to blast through the building and downwards towards where ever Sousuke was.

Tessa turned to look up at the massive creature hovering above her. "My apologies." He spoke before scooping her up into his hand. "What the daughter of our Lord commands, she receives." He spoke before cradling her close to his chest and moving onwards to spread the word that the humans were off limits.

\scenebreak

Sousuke could hear footsteps coming towards the pair. He through for a moment and then reached forward to grip Hild by the wrist, he drew her body towards the wall and placed himself between her and the archway. "Who is there?" He cried out.

"Lind!" Came a voice. "I am a Goddess." She continued to speak before she and twelve well dressed Valkyries entered the room. "Are you Sousuke?" She questioned.

"Affirmative." He replied as he held his weapon at low ready. He continued to kneel in front of Hild protectively. "My soldiers?" He asked.

"Skuld is safe. The one she calls Shinji is seriously wounded. I don't know about the rest." She spoke as they all entered the room and began to eye ball Hild.

"Is the Lord of Darkness injured?" She asked tentatively.

Sousuke only stared in reply. "I think you need to leave." He whispered.

"This is our chance to stop all the evil in the universe. We can destroy her, bring about ragnarok, and usher in a world of love." Lind spoke as she drew her weapon and held it at the ready.

Sousuke looked down at Hild and back at the Valkyries. He tilted his weapon and saw that he only had about $12$ rounds left in his magazine. "How about this." He spoke before laying his weapon down. He reached inside a pouch on his pocket and withdrew a grenade before placing his hand inside the barrel of the law rocket. He placed his other hand inside as well.

"What are you doing?" Lind asked with fear in her voice.

"If you take one more step towards me, I will pull the pin on this grenade. The rocket will explode, and I will blow a hole in the portal behind me. Then the creatures that started this will pour through and I will destroy this entire God Damned Universe." Sousuke replied with grit teeth.

"You wouldn't dare." Lind spoke up as she began to tense.

"I'm ready to die. Are you?" Sousuke asked as the sound of a pin clicking echoed through the room. He withdrew his right hand and tossed the ring towards her. He continued to hold the spoon with his left hand as he began to pray. "Lord of Darkness, sweet mother of the daughter I love. I beg your forgiveness for I plan to sin. We will die together. Amen." He mocked the Goddesses as they began to seethe.

"Stop!" Came the voice of Belldandy as she rushed forward. She too wore Valkyrie armor as she entered the room. "He holds no fear of death." She pleaded as she stood between Lind and Sousuke. "Today is not the day. Leave the Lord of Darkness be." She continued to plead as many of the Goddesses began to sweat.

"Next time." Lind growled before turning on her heels and exiting. The rest of the Valkyries left as well. Belldandy turned to look at Sousuke with a soft smile before stepping forward, lifting the grenade pin up, and carrying it to him. "Here." She stated as she handed him the pin.

Sousuke replaced the pin on the grenade and stood.

"Good job." Hild spoke from behind him. She stood up and dusted herself off before throwing her arms around him from behind. "Sweet Sousuke saved me!" She cried out as she pressed her ample bosom against his back. "I should keep you for myself!" She stated before releasing him and leaping away.

Urd slammed into the room with a roar before swinging out and striking with her claws towards her mother. She looked berserk as she gnashed her teeth and spit.

"Oh Urd! Did you change your hair?" Hild questioned with a giggle.

"Sousuke!" Urd groaned before allowing World Of Elegance to snake up and out towards him. The transformed Angel grabbed him and pulled him towards Urd. His feet dangled as Urd used her freakishly long tongue to kiss him. The massive appendage caused his throat to swell as it dipped deep into his mouth. He felt himself vomit and she with drew as his sick dripped out of her mouth and off her chin.

"Urd. Have a little pride in yourself." Hild admonished with a smirk. "Young girls just can't control themselves." Hild sighed before her expression grew serious.

"Urdy wurdy. What is that?" Hild exploded forward with such force that it dislodged Belldandy from where she stood. The Valkyrie slammed into the wall and slumped as Hild lifted Urd by her throat and pinned her next to her sister.

Urd spit and thrashed as she kicked outwards at Hild.

"You broke the covenant!" Hild screamed before turning to face Sousuke. "I warned you personally!" She continued to rage as the room began to fill with brimstone and a swirling fiery vortex above their heads.

"It was entirely my fault." Sousuke cried out as he pulled himself to a standing position. "I did this." He continued to yell.

"What?" Hild growled.

"I did this. You should only destroy me." He offered.

Hild drew Urd forward before slamming her back into the wall. The Goddess passed out instantly as her head left a crater in the wall. She slumped to the ground to lay beside Belldandy. World Of Elegance rushed forward to defend Urd but Hild back handed her so hard she flew through the wall.

Sousuke took a deep breath as he felt the heat of the vortex buffer his face. He began to walk towards Hild as he spoke. "I wronged her. I forced her to do this. I held her down." He began to rattle off what ever he thought he could say to save Urd. "She had no choice."

Hild simply stared as he continued to approach her. She waited until he was directly in front of her.

"What if I killed you and her?" Hild asked.

"I am ready. But spare her." He stated in reply.

"Well, I am an orderly woman." Hild replied. "I am all for order." She continued. She clapped her hands once and the fire vanished, the room was repaired, and the two Goddesses and World of Elegance all lay on beautifully ornate beds around them. The entire room appeared fanciful and gorgeous. A room fit for a Queen.

"First. You are allowed a wish. Since you did rescue me." She spoke as she placed her elbow in one hand and cupped her own face with the other.

"I wish that Urd..." Sousuke began to speak but Hild shook her head no almost imperceptibly.

"I wish all of the Goddesses..." He offered but received another no shake.

"I wish that Urd, Belldandy, Skuld, Peorth, Lind, Marller and you..." He offered again, and this time she did not react except to smile. "Could marry, love, and make love with any one you want. You should even have the right to bear children if it gives you pleasure and happiness." He finished.

"Wish granted." Hild spoke before clapping her hands. "You will have two more wishes."

"Like a genie?" Sousuke questioned.

Hild scowled. "Say that one more time and I will destroy you." She replied before smiling curtly.

"Sorry." Sousuke replied. "I don't know what to ask for." He shrugged. "I just want every one to be happy. How many men did I loose?"

"None." Hild replied.

"You didn't need help did you?" Sousuke asked softly.

"Do you dare accuse me of taking advantage of a situation in order to allow someone else to stage a daring rescue that ends in me providing them a wish that allows them to save my daughter?" She questioned dangerously.

"No." Sousuke replied with a smirk. "Is Marller all right?" He asked.

"She will be fine. I think she will be happy to know she can love who she wishes. Why would you include her and I in your wish? Hoping for a harem?" Hild chided him.

"I just want Urd's family to be safe and happy. Marller and you are both important to Urd." He replied. "I don't want you all to be miserable."

Hild smiled mischievously. "Call me when you need those other wishes. Congratulations" She then clapped her hands and Sousuke and the group appeared in Keiichi's home. The entire group sat on the floor, none of them injured any longer.


	26. Chapter 26

Sousuke looked about the room at his friends, family, and allies. They all seemed as equally surprised as he was to be out of Hell and back in Keiichi's home. The rustling of movement was the only sound as each of them took turns looking at each other with what amounted to wonder.

It was Urd who spoke first, breaking the silence. "Is it over?" She questioned as she looked about. She had returned to her usual form. She made eye contact with Sousuke and crawled on her hands and knees towards him before rising up and throwing her arms around his neck. "Why are we alive?" She questioned as she burst into tears with her face nuzzled deep into his neck.

Sousuke gripped her tightly in his arms. He began to speak but his words hitched in his throat as he too began to cry joyfully. He finally struggled out the words "We did it." He pressed his face against her hair and gushed as he began to laugh. Tears streamed from his eyes as he continued to laugh.

"Shinji?" Skuld questioned before turning to find him sitting behind Otaki. "Are you all right?" Skuld asked as she stood and ran to him. She dropped to her knees and looked at the shell shocked boy before placing one hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"I was dead." He whispered as he continued to stare in one direction. "I let you die." He continued to speak as he reached up with one trembling hand to grip her by the wrist. "Are you an Angel?" He asked slowly as he looked up to gaze about the room.

"Nope. I'm a Goddess. This is an Angel." Skuld replied with a grin before allowing Noble Scarlet to appear and perch on her shoulder. The tiny Angel wore a MICH helmet, camouflage cargo pants, and a black shirt. She also wore a very small plate carrier. Skuld lifted a single finger towards the Angel and giggled when Noble Scarlet gave her finger tip a high five.

"I'm so sorry." Shinji gushed before raising to his knees and wrapping his arms around Skuld. He buried his face into her midriff and squeezed her so tightly that she involuntarily exhaled. "I promise I will make it up to you. I'll serve you forever." He continued to speak.

"Shinji." Skuld spoke softly as she began to stroke his hair. She placed her left hand behind his head and held him gently. "You did perfect. You fought till the end and you never ran. You gave your all." She continued to speak sweetly to him as she attempted to comfort him.

"So can a Goddess have a servant?" Tamiya asked Tessa as he felt her lean down onto his back. She draped her arms around his neck and laughed before kissing him on the back of the head.

"No clue." Tessa replied before erupting into uproarious laughter as Tamiya reached back to grip her cat suit, he deftly flipped her over his head and cradled her in his lap before kissing her passionately.

Peorth and Otaki stood and hugged. The tall auto club member dwarfed the Goddess as she smiled up at him. "Thanks." She spoke before looking down nervously. She didn't seem entirely sure of what to do.

"No problem." Otaki replied with a grin. He patted her on the shoulder for a moment before locking his fingers together in front of himself and staring at her awkwardly.

"Kiss him." Kurz spoke up from near by. He nudged Peorth on the back of the leg and pushed her towards Otaki. "Do it." He hissed between his teeth.

"Stop." Mao admonished before grabbing him by the ear and pulling him away.

Kurtz waved his hands in celebration after Peorth leaned forward and planted a tiny kiss on the side of his mouth. She blushed furiously for a moment before leaning in and throwing her arms and legs around him with a small hop. She began to kiss him furiously.

Kurtz whooped.

"All right everyone." Sousuke finally spoke as he stood and held Urd by the hand. "Mao, Kurtz, and Tessa. We all know what we have to do now. Right?" He asked.

"Yes!" Kurtz cried out as he stood and rubbed his belly.

Mao laughed before standing as well. "I suppose it was a successful mission. Where are we going?" She asked.

"The air port!" Tessa cried out excitedly. She held up her cell phone and began to dial a number. "I need transportation to the air port." She spoke before hanging up.

"Tessa has the ride. I will get reservations." Mao spoke up before removing her cell phone and dialing. She spoke for several minutes into the phone before hanging up. "We have seats." She finally spoke.

"What is happening?" Urd asked Sousuke as she watched the excitement of each of the group.

"We always have a post mission meal at the air port. Normally, as military contractors, as soon as we are done, we are waiting for a flight to get the heck out. So we always eat at the air port." He replied as he explained their post combat ritual.

"Wouldn't you rather that I cook? Belldandy could cook?" Urd asked softly.

"Negative." Sousuke replied. "No one works for this meal. No cleaning and no cooking. It's just about decompressing." He replied. "Don't worry. It'll be fun." He continued.

Urd shrugged before pulling him close for one more hug. "What happens now?" She asked.

"We eat." Sousuke smiled before cupping her face in his hand. "Don't worry. I spoke to Hild. Every thing is going to be fine." He continued.

"I can't see." Urd spoke up. "That entire time frame is blocked. She won't let me see what you discussed." She replied as her look grew concerned. "Is it really all right?"

"It's perfect." Sousuke replied before kissing her lips softly.

\scenebreak

The group made their way to the air port using the vehicles that Tessa had called for. The monotony of the uneventful drive was broken by the swapping of stories as each vehicle filled with the stories of who did what, when, and why they were so integral to the success of their mission.

Tessa, Sousuke, Skuld, Shinji, and Urd rode in one SUV together. Urd cuddled up against Sousuke and held him tight, rarely speaking during the ride, but still looking apprehensive. While Shinji sat upfront in the passenger seat. Tessa drove and Skuld sat to Urd's side in the back seat.

"You didn't want to ride with Tamiya?" Shinji questioned Tessa as they waited at a stop light.

"That's the nice thing about Tamiya. He wanted to drive and he doesn't have to hang off my arm all the time. No offense." She replied as she tossed a nod in the rear view mirror at Urd. "He will get the others there safely and then we can spend time together. I like that about him." She continued.

"I think I get it." Shinji replied. He flashed a smile at Skuld who lifted her left hand up to cover her own eye while mocking the act of punching herself with the other hand. Shinji blushed as Skuld burst into a giggle.

Urd nestled her nose into Sousukes' neck and closed her eyes. She refused to take her arms from around his neck as they rode in companionable silence. Sousuke kept his left arm around her waist and pulled her in close, his eyes breaking away to watch their surroundings as they made their way to the restaurant.

"So do we have to fight the Valkyries?" Skuld finally questioned. Noble Scarlet had appeared again and was sitting on her shoulder. The tiny Angel had an equally small rifle slung across her chest with her legs crossed. She kept her head on a swivel as she gazed back and forth out of each of the windows with an intense gaze on her face.

"Is that your Angel?" Sousuke questioned as he turned his head to look at the small being.

"Yep!" Skuld exclaimed. "Her name is Noble Scarlet." Skuld motioned towards Sousuke with her hand as she spoke.

Noble Scarlet hopped to attention and snapped a salute at Sousuke. She held it until he saluted back and then she placed both hands behind her back and stood at ease. The tiny Angel watched Sousuke intently from the Shoulder of Skuld.

"Why is she wearing those clothes?" Urd spoke up.

Skuld only shrugged in reply before reaching up to stroke Noble Scarlets hair with a single finger. "I like her clothes." She spoke before flashing a bright smile at the Angel.

"I do too." Sousuke spoke up.

"I do too! She is so beautiful!" Tessa squealed from her seat. She had adjusted the rear view mirror to allow her to see the little Angel.

"Very cool." Shinji smiled as he threw a thumbs up at Skuld.

Urd shook her head and chuckled. "You all would."

Sousuke laughed. He felt energized and leaned down to whisper into Urd's ear. "I have something special to tell you." He spoke causing the Goddess to cock her chin to look at him suspiciously.

"What?" Urd asked.

"It's a secret." Sousuke replied with a stern look on his face.

"Don't test me." Urd growled back under her breathe as her lip curled into a smirk.

"Hild allotted me a wish." He spoke flippantly.

"She did what?" Urd questioned with a hint of awe in her voice.

"Who is Hild again?" Shinji questioned from his seat up front.

"Urd's mom." Skuld replied as she turned her attention on the two beside her.

"You are free from the covenant. The covenant doesn't apply to Skuld or Belldandy now either." Sousuke explained. "I made sure you are allowed to do what ever you want."

"I can't believe it." Urd breathed hard as her eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Is that how we got released?" She was nearly shaking as her lips stretched back into the largest smile Sousuke had ever seen.

"I'm free too?" Skuld questioned. She spoke calmly but her eyes betrayed her as they sparkled and darted from Sousuke to Shinji and back again rapidly.

"No." Sousuke growled as he pointed at Skuld. "You need to grow up and get old first." He leaned forward and glared at Shinji in the passenger seat. "Skuld needs to finish school and get a job first."

"I have a job." Skuld barked indignantly. "I am a debugger. I also write software for Heaven." She replied quickly.

Sousuke glared exasperatedly at the pair as Tessa and Urd began to laugh.

"She is an adult you know." Urd spoke up as she stared affectionately at Sousuke.

Sousuke was about to articulate a reply when the vehicle came to a halt and Tessa interrupted. "We are here." She choked back a snicker as she turned in her seat to look at Sousuke. She thought it was funny and cute that he was so flustered by the littlest Goddess.

"This conversation isn't over." Sousuke spoke again as they began to egress from the SUV. The over vehicles entered the parking lot in turn and parked. A line of black SUV trucks with tinted windows filled the back of the parking lot. The group slowly coalesced in the parking lot before making their way as a group towards a nondescript building that stated "Restaurant" above it in a small metallic sign.

The sound of airplanes taking off and landing filled the air as the group quickly crossed the length of the parking lot and made their way inside. The restaurant smelled pleasant and the decorum was quaint. Numerous tiny models of air craft hung suspended from the ceiling by fishing wire, the small objects swayed softly in the current from the air conditioner.

A small sign held the words "Please wait to be seated." and kept the group at bay as they mulled about in anticipation of their meal.

Belldandy and Keiichi slid up next to Urd and Sousuke and for a moment the two Goddesses exchanged a glance. Urd reached out and gently pressed a single digit to the forearm of Belldandy. She passed her memories of the car ride to Belldandy and smiled as Belldandy snapped her gaze to Sousuke with an awe struck look on her face.

"Every bit is true. It has to be." Urd spoke as she returned to hanging off of Sousukes' arm. She snuggled up close to him.

Belldandy began to leak tears of joy before spinning around to hug Keiichi. "Mr. Keiichi! We have good news!" She blurted out. Her face turned crimson and she shook as she gripped her charge in a crushing hug.

"I'm glad!" Keiichi cried out before asking "What is the good news?"

"We can be together forever!" Belldandy replied before breaking her hold and laughing joyfully. "Forever!" She spoke again before grabbing his arm and dangling from it in a very similar manner to how Urd does with Sousuke.

She stopped to turn and look at Sousuke. Belldandy stared at him for a moment as she chewed her lip. "Thank you. You did something very good for my family." She seemed to be mustering the courage to continue but she simply smiled when Sousuke waved off her thanks with a flip of his hand.

"Any thing for Urd and her family." Sousuke replied.

Any chance of continued discussion was interrupted when the waitress arrived. She asked for Mao and pointed towards a large meeting room that was fenced off from the general population by two large sliding glass doors. "If you all will follow me, I will get you all seated." The woman spoke up as she smiled and perused the group.

Sousuke felt the other patrons eyes running over their group as they walked through the restaurant towards the meeting room. The entire group, while clean, looked decidedly military. They had abandoned their body armor but still wore their fatigues. The only ones who looked remotely normal were Belldandy and Urd, but even they looked absolutely jaw dropping, in stark contrast to the men who they doted on.

The group filed into the side room they had been provided for their meal, each of them taking seats around a particularly large table that made a horse shoe shape in the middle of the room. They easily filled the length of the table. Chairs scraped on the floor and the silverware on the table itself jingled as they nestled in for their meal.

The only one who remained standing was Tessa. She stood at the head of the table and waited patiently for them to get settled. She waited for the waitress to take their drink orders, and as the woman began to leave, Tessa spoke up. "Could we have a bit of privacy please?" She asked. The waitress slid the doors shut on her way out.

"Can I have every ones attention for a moment please?" Tessa asked as she turned back to the group. I just want to make a few announcements before we go back to acting like animals." She smiled as many in the group did in kind.

The beautiful military commander paused as a small wooden crate shimmered into existence on the table in front of her. The box looked hand made with two large iron bands that wrapped the case from front to back. A heavy latch faced her. She turned her head to look at Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld with an inquisitive look as the group fell silent.

"Open it." Skuld piped up. She seemed genuinely interested in the contents of the mysterious case.

Tessa stepped forward and reached down to grip the latch with her index finger and thumb. She yanked firmly and the case opened with a soft groan. The moment the case opened she began to laugh. She reached into the case and held up a medal and a challenge coin. "The box is full of them." She grinned wide.

"Hild." Urd spoke the name softly as she rolled her eyes. Her lips creased into an involuntary smile as she gazed at Sousuke. He smiled at her in return and reached down to pat her leg.

"I'm going to pass these things out." Tessa stated as she reached into the case and began to hand the tiny implements to each person present in turn. The ribbon on the medal was the color of opal and the golden circular medallion on the end looked to contain an artistic rendering of Hilds' castle. The words "BATTLE FOR HELL" circled the inner image. The back of each medal contained the names of all of the participating soldiers.

Sousuke thumbed the challenge coin in his hand. The coin was heavy and appeared to be made from silver and onyx, expertly crafted, and forged in some way that he couldn't identify. The black and silver implement contained an image of a bayonet with what appeared to be a hooded female figure with wings holding it by the handle with the tip pointed downward. The other side held a beautifully carved etch of the World Tree with a single Arm Slave lounging under the branches. The intricate detail was amazing.

"What do you do with it?" Urd questioned as she pointed at the coin in his hand. "Can you spend it?" She asked.

"No. You don't spend them. Sousuke replied before proffering the coin to Urd. She reached out and took it to inspect it more closely as he continued to speak. "You carry them or display them. You can hold them to remember friends or events. It's a trinket that might have some special meaning." He explained as he watched her turn the coin over in her hands.

"You can also tap it on a table and hope the next guy doesn't have one. Then he has to buy you a beer." Kurtz spoke up as he leaned forward to speak to Urd. He smiled wide before winking at her.

"That too." Sousuke laughed as he turned his attention to Kurtz for a moment.

The waitress returned with the drinks and accepted orders as the group continued to gossip amongst themselves. Skuld in particular found it difficult not to brag about her exploits as she described the numerous creatures she dispatched. She pantomimed firing her rifle as she regaled Kurtz with a daring tale of do.

Kurtz smiled as she spoke and waited until she came to a stopping point in one of her descriptions before holding both hands out. He gripped a fork in one hand and salt shaker in the other as he hunched his shoulders and took a serious look upon his face. "No shit, there I was. Nothing but a bayonet in one hand and a box of saran wrap in the other, butt naked but a pair of combat boots on. I was surrounded by fifty horny amazonian women." He raised his eye brows and waggled them at Skuld before putting the fork and salt shaker back down on the table after Mao struck him in the back of the shoulder.

Skuld broke into uproarious laughter as she digested what Kurtz had just said. She shook and bit her lip as he simply smiled back at her. "What the heck was that?" She finally choked out.

"Those stories you are telling. We call them 'No Shitters'." He explained. "They always start with the words 'No shit, there I was.'. Just like your stories should be prefaced with." He smirked at her before leaning over to point at Sousuke. "Tell us a 'No shitter.'" He demanded.

"No shit, there I was, sitting at a dinner table with my Goddess girlfriend when some jack ass started asking me to tell stories from wilder days." Sousuke glared back before smirking at Kurtz.

"I have a Sousuke story." Mao exclaimed as she pointed at Urd excitedly. "Do you want to hear about Sousuke and his younger years?" She mocked the indignant soldier as she smiled at Urd.

"I would love to hear a Sousuke story." Urd replied as she grinned at her boyfriend. "Tell me a good one."

"So one day we went on a thirty mile march." Mao began to speak before pausing for a second as Tessa clapped her hands excitedly. The pair exchanged a look before Mao continued the story.

Urd didn't reveal the fact that she knew every thing about Sousuke but decided to enjoy their tale any ways.

"So, Sousuke starts getting leg chaffing and he steals a pair of my panties from my bag in order to stuff between his thighs in order to protect his skin." Mao continued to speak.

Kurtz leaned back in his seat laughing.

"Sousuke gets a couple more miles before some young private runs up behind him and taps him on his shoulder. The panties had fallen out of his pants leg. This young kid runs up and hands him the underwear and says 'Sir, you dropped your panties...'. The entire platoon heard it and he didn't hear the end of it for years." She began to laugh as she wiped at her eyes.

"You can always borrow my panties." Urd consoled Sousuke as he rolled his eyes at his compatriots antics.

"So what happened in Heaven?" Sousuke moved to changed the subject as he leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head. He interlinked his fingers and hoped that Belldandy would begin to speak.

"I became a Paladin." Keiichi spoke up from his spot next to Belldandy. He appeared nervous as he made eye contact with Sousuke.

"Really?" Urd asked incredulously. "I didn't know you had it in you." She continued to speak as she smiled at him. "Good job. Dweeb." She laughed.

"Mr. Keiicchi was very brave. He killed several of those monsters and was instrumental in turning the tide of battle. He rescued Lind." Belldandy confirmed as she gazed affectionately at him.

"I just pointed and pulled the trigger. Just like Sousuke said." Keiichi shrugged as he blushed.

"I'm proud of you." Sousuke replied. He smiled as he reached down to hook one of his arms around Urd and pull her into his lap. He kissed her on the lips softly before cupping her face in the palm of his hand. "I have a lot to do. I need to finish school, get a job, and we need to figure out what we are going to do with our selves. A lot has changed." He whispered to her.

"You just finished saving the planet. Don't you think it's a little early to start worrying about all of that?" Urd questioned as she looked down at him.

"It isn't the first time I saved the planet. The planet always needs saving Sousuke shrugged. "The best part is that you saved me."

Skuld coughed uncomfortably before throwing her hands in the air. "Ew! Nasty!" She exclaimed before turning to slap Shinji across the face, grab his shirt, and pull him in for a deep kiss.


End file.
